CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will assess the merits of extending to 75 years the copyright protection period for recorded works which currently receive copyright protection for 50 years.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	Copyright terms are harmonised within the EU. The Government are not aware of current plans to extend the term for recorded works to 75 years and have made no such evaluation of the type suggested by my hon. Friend. The previous Government published an impact assessment on the proposal to extend performers' rights in sound recordings to a term of initially 95, but later to 70 years. This proposal is still on the table in Brussels.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what grants have been awarded by his Department in 2010-11 to date; what grants he plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant; and to which organisations such grants are made.

John Penrose: The first table shows grants (both capital and resource) that have been awarded by the Department in 2010-11, and those announced for 2011-12 and 2012-13. The second table includes those organisations where an allocation has been confirmed for 2010-11 but where further announcements have yet to be made.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Grant  Organisation  2010-11( 1)  2011-12  2012-13 
			 National Coal Mining Museum of England National Coal Mining Museum of England 2,794 2,707 2,657 
			 Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums 2,847 1,918 1,893 
			 Design Museum Design Museum 424 328 257 
			 National Football Museum National Football Museum 105 0 0 
			 People's History Museum People's History Museum 173 168 164 
			 Former Royal Naval College Greenwich Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College 1,455 1,388 1,342 
			 Chatham Historic Dockyard The Historic Dockyard, Chatham 291 278 268 
			 Restoration of the Cutty Sark Cutty Sark Trust 0 3,000 0 
			 Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme Groups occupying eligible Places of Worship 14,469 (2)12,100 (2)12,300 
			 National Film and Television School National Film and Television School 3,038 2,904 2,857 
			 Strategic Commissioning Grants for Museum Education(3) National Museums, Galleries and the British Library 1,885 0 0 
			 British Chess Federation British Chess Federation 45 0 0 
			 Free Swimming-Grants for Under 16s and over 60s Local Authorities in England 11,318 0 0 
			 Free Swimming-regional co-ordinators and swimming lessons(3) Amateur Swimming Association 2,684 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Grant  Organisation  2010-11( 1)  (£000) 
			 DCMS/Wolfson Museum and Galleries Improvement Fund(3) Museums and Galleries with eligible collections 5,682 
			 Connections through Culture British Council-China 100 
			 Memorials Grant Scheme Registered Charities and Faith Groups 500 
			 Own Art-running costs of the art purchase scheme(3) Art Co (trading arm of Arts Council England) 375 
			 Take it Away-running costs of musical instrument purchase scheme(3) Art Co (trading arm of Arts Council England) 625 
			 Youth Mentoring-Music Youth Music 322 
			 Poetry Archive Poetry Archive Ltd 120 
			 Poetry Society Poetry Society 11 
			 Change4life(3) Youth Sport Trust 750 
			 Dancelinks Arts Council England 50 
			 UK School Games Legacy Trust UK 725 
			 Tourism for All Tourism for All 15 
			 International Inspirations(3) II Foundation 1,600 
			 Youth mentoring-Media Media Trust 323 
			 Tsunami Memorial Tsunami Support UK (TSUK) 400 
			 (1) Total value of the grants in 2010-11, planned or forecast. (2) This sum is gross of administration costs for the scheme. (3) These grants are fully or part funded by other organisations or Government Departments.

Digital Broadcasting: Television

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that all areas of the country have television reception of an adequate strength to participate in digital switchover.

Edward Vaizey: Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) coverage is planned to reach 98.5% of households-the same as pre-switchover analogue terrestrial coverage reception. The power of the digital transmitter network has to be restricted to low levels until switchover takes place, in order to avoid interfering with the analogue network. At switchover in a region, coverage and reception reliability will increase significantly when the power level is increased.

SCOTLAND

Research Councils UK

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives from Research Councils UK; and what topics were discussed at that meeting.

Michael Moore: I have not yet had an opportunity to meet with Research Councils UK but have discussed research funding with Universities Scotland.

WALES

Broadband

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions Ministers and officials in her Department have had with Members of the National Assembly for Wales other than Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on a proposed pilot in Wales for high speed broadband services.

David Jones: The Secretary of State and I have had regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues, Welsh Assembly Government Ministers and with Members of the National Assembly for Wales on a range of issues affecting Wales including broadband.
	My officials will continue to work with colleagues in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Welsh Assembly Government on ways in which we can together help deliver 21st century broadband infrastructure for Wales.

EDUCATION

Education: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the uptake was of early education places for three and four-year-olds in each local authority by children of households in each  (a) family income and  (b) employment category in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 4 November 2010
	Data on the take up of early education by three and four years by local authority area and by family income and employment category are not available.
	The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents collects information on the take-up of the entitlement to free early years provision by three and four years by family income and by family type and work status and allows for national level estimates to be made.
	Table 1 shows the percentage of three and four-year-olds receiving the entitlement to free early years provision by family income in England in 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Receipt of the entitlement to free early years provision, by family income-Base: All eligible three and four-year-olds 
			   Percentage 
			  Family annual income (£)  Received free hours  (or attended school) 
			 Under 10,000 79 
			 10,000-19,999 80 
			 20,000-29,999 87 
			 30,000-44,999 91 
			 45,000+ 95 
			 Total 87 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the percentage of three and four-year-olds receiving the entitlement to free early years provision by family type and work status in England in 2009.
	
		
			  Table 2: Receipt of the entitlement to free early years provision, by family type and work status-Base: All eligible three and four-year-olds 
			  Percentage 
			  Family type and work status  Received free hours  (or attended school) 
			  Couple families  
			 Both working 91 
			 One working 89 
			 Neither working 76 
			   
			  Lone parents  
			 Working 87 
			 Not working 78 
			   
			 Total 87 
		
	
	Data on the take-up of free early education places by three and four-year-olds by local authority area are available in Table 5 of the Statistical First Release 'Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England-January 2010' at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000935/index.shtml

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to ensure that the provisions of article 12 of the UN convention on the rights of the child are applied to all policies which affect young people.

Sarah Teather: The Government believe that involving children and young people in discussion about services that affect their lives is likely to improve services and help in developing confident and responsible citizens.
	The Department has engaged with children and young people through a range of channels including its Children and Youth Board; the Office of the Children's Commissioner; and key stakeholders from the children's sector.

TREASURY

Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he plans to have with the European Commission on the reintroduction of the Northern Ireland aggregates levy credit scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: holding answer 10 November 2010
	 State aid approval for the aggregates levy credit scheme was due to expire in April 2011 and discussions had begun to continue the scheme until at least 2021.
	However, as a result of the European General Court ruling of 9 September, that approval was annulled and continuing the scheme would have constituted illegal state aid. The Government have therefore announced that the scheme will be suspended from 1 December 2010.
	The Government support the re-introduction of the scheme at the earliest opportunity. Officials are working closely with the authorities in Northern Ireland and representatives of the quarrying industry to provide the Commission with evidence to enable them to approve the scheme both retrospectively and for the future.

Bank Levy

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations he has received from  (a) the British Bankers Association and ( b) individual banks on the rate at which the proposed bank levy should be charged;
	(2)  what representations he has received from the International Monetary Fund on the rate at which the proposed bank levy should be charged;
	(3)  what representations he has received from non-governmental organisations on the rate at which the proposed bank levy should be charged.

Mark Hoban: The Government published 'Bank Levy: A Consultation' on 13 July 2010, and invited the views of business, as well as the views of representative bodies and tax advisers on the design and implementation of the levy. The Government received a total of 48 responses, including from the British Bankers Association and a number of banks, on a wide range of issues. Details of the responses received, and a full list of respondents, were set out in 'Bank Levy: Consultation Response', published on 21 October, available at:
	http://hm-treasury.gov.uk/fin_bank_levy.htm
	The Government have not received any representations on the bank levy from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF Article IV report on the UK economy published on 9 November 2010 stated that the bank levy "is in line with the design of the financial stability contribution (FSC) set out in the IMF's paper prepared for the G-20-"A Fair and Substantial Contribution by the Financial Sector".
	Neither the IMF's Article IV report nor its report to the G20 made any specific recommendations about the appropriate yield from the levy or other taxes.

Bank Services

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to separate commercial and investment banking.

Mark Hoban: The Government believe it is important to debate the issues relating to banking reform in a way that allows everyone to make their case. To this end, the Independent Commission on Banking was established in June 2010 to look at the structure of banking in the UK and consider how to promote financial stability and competition in the industry. This will include examining the complex issue of separating retail and investment banking functions. The commission is due to deliver its report to the Cabinet Committee on Banking Reform by the end of September 2011.

Bank Services: Standards

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines his Department requires banks to follow in their treatment of customers who spend significant periods of time, or live, abroad.

Mark Hoban: Banks and building societies are subject to the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) banking and payments services conduct regime, which provides rules and guidance on firm's conduct of banking business. Banks are not required to follow specific rules for non-resident customers or those spending time abroad.

Banks: Loans

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the banking sector on personal guarantees for loans; and whether he has made an assessment of trends in the setting of criteria for personal guarantees in the last 10 years.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Child Benefit

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Streatham of 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 826W, on child benefit, for what reason estimates of the number of households affected by his proposed changes to child benefit are not available at constituency or local authority level; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The estimates in the answer referred to were produced using the inter-governmental tax and benefit model (IGoTM). This is based on data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). Figures are not available at constituency or local authority level, because the sample size and survey design of the FRS mean that it is not suitable for producing such estimates.

Child Benefit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in  (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency,  (b) the north-east and  (c) England he expects to be affected by the proposed changes to child benefit.

David Gauke: The number of households affected by the withdrawal of child benefit from families with a higher rate taxpayer in 2013:
	(a) In the north-east is estimated to be around 50,000.
	(b) In England is estimated to be around 1.3 million.
	Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Child Benefit: Tax

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal advice he has sought on the extent to which implementation of the proposal to withdraw child benefit from households where a parent earns over £44,000 per year is compliant with independent tax regulations.

David Gauke: holding answer 2 November 2010
	It is not the Government's practice to provide details of their legal advice. The withdrawal of child benefit from families containing a higher rate taxpayer will not affect the principle of independent taxation.

Departmental ICT

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information technology projects in his Department are  (a) under way and  (b) planned to commence in the next three years.

Justine Greening: The Treasury's IT infrastructure renewal programme is part way through delivery and is expected to be complete in March 2011. The Department is also in the process of replacing its COINS system, which collects and collates departmental spending information.
	HMT currently has no other planned IT projects.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months.

Justine Greening: In the last six months my Department has revoked two statutory instruments:
	the International Monetary Fund (Limit on Lending) Order 2009 (SI No. 2009/1830); and
	the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Contribution to Costs of Special Resolution Regime) Regulations 2009 (SI No. 2009/807).

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Justine Greening: In the last six months, my Department has not introduced any regulation through primary legislation. We have made nine statutory instruments.
	
		
			   Statutory instrument 
			 No. 2010/2479 The Premium Savings Bonds (Amendment etc) Regulations 2010 
			 No. 2010/2480 (c.120) The Financial Services Act 2010 (Commencement No.1 and Transitional Provision) Order 2010 
			 No. 2010/2220 The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Contribution to Costs of Special Resolution Regime) Regulations 2010 
			 No. 2010/1880 The International Monetary Fund (Limit on Lending) Order 2010 
			 No. 2010/2628 The Capital Requirements (Amendment) Regulations 2010 
			 No. 2010/2613 The Iran (European Community Financial Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 
			 No. 2010/2578 (S.5) The Bank Administration (Scotland) (Amendment) Rules 2010 
			 No. 2010/2586 (S.7) The Bank Insolvency (Scotland) (Amendment) Rules 2010 
			 No. 2010/2854(S.6) The Building Society Insolvency (Scotland) Rules 2010

Economic Governance Task Force

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received legal advice on the European Parliament's proposals in respect of new EU taxation.

Mark Hoban: The Chancellor of the Exchequer receives legal advice on a wide range of EU-related issues on a regular basis.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the timetable is for Equitable Life compensation payments; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 8 November 2010
	 As set out in my statement to the House on 22 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 576-78, it is the Government's ambition to commence payments to policyholders in the middle of 2011.

Food: Prices

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects on food prices of speculation by banks and hedge funds on those prices;
	(2)  if he will assess the merits of placing limits on the speculation by banks and hedge funds on food prices.

Mark Hoban: A number of organisations have argued that financial market speculation was an important cause of the 2007-08 agricultural price spikes. However, analysis by bodies such as the IMF and the OECD suggests that such speculation was not a significant factor.

Individual Savings Accounts

David Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to allow shares listed on the Alternative Investment Market to be included as eligible investments within an individual savings account.

Mark Hoban: ISAs are the Government's main non-pensions savings incentive, and are held by 20 million adults. The Government believe that ISAs are a trusted brand, and that it is important that this is maintained. The Government also believe that ISAs should be mainstream savings products, and therefore do not intend to allow shares listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM)-which can be riskier and less liquid-to be qualifying investments for ISAs. It is already the case that companies listed on AIM may benefit from other incentive schemes, such as investments made through the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts.

National Insurance

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost of administering the national insurance system; what estimate he has made of the proportion of national insurance contributions made by  (a) employees and  (b) employers in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The estimate of the annual administration costs of the national insurance system for the 2010-11 tax year is £1.54 billion. The most recent estimates for total national insurance contributions receipts published on the ONS website is £96.9 billion for the 2009-10 tax year, of which 43% relate to employee contributions and 57% employer contributions.

Private Sector: Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many private sector jobs he expects there to be in each region in each of the next five years.

Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) released the official forecast for whole economy employment to 2015-16 on 22 June 2010. The OBR will update its forecast on 29 November 2010.
	Further information on the employment forecast, including projections for general government employment, was released on 30 June 2010 in their document "OBR forecast: Employment", which can be found on the following webpage:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html
	As I mentioned recently, taken together, the OBR forecasts for whole economy employment and general government employment imply 1.6 million additional private sector jobs over the next four years.
	The OBR has not published forecasts on a sub-national level.

Public Sector: West Lothian

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely effects of implementation of the proposals in the comprehensive spending review on the number of public sector jobs in the West Lothian local authority area.

Danny Alexander: No assessment has been made of the likely effects of implementation of the proposals in the comprehensive spending review on the number of public sector jobs in the West Lothian local authority area. In devolved areas of spending it is for the Scottish Government to make its own decisions on the allocation of its budget, and as such any associated implications for jobs.

Revenue and Customs: Finance

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on HM Revenue and Customs' tax inquiry services for the public.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Arfon (Hywel Williams), on 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 774W.

Taxation: Interest Payments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of making interest on ordinary bank and building society accounts free from taxation; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The annual liabilities generated by the taxation of income from savings, including an estimate for the current year, are published at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-6.pdf
	The current estimate for the revenue generated in 2010-11 is £1.85 billion. The cost of abolishing the taxation of savings income is dependent on market interest rates.

Economic Policy: EU Action

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the legal basis under which the UK would be exempt from those EU legislative initiatives in the field of national budgets and macro-economic surveillance proposed in the Task Force report to the European Council of 21 October 2010.

Justine Greening: The UK's Protocol to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union contains certain provisions that preclude the application to the UK of sanctions under Article 126(11) of the Treaty. This exemption from sanctions is explicitly recognised in paragraph 18.ii of the final report of the President of the European Council's Taskforce (a copy of this document has been deposited in the Library of the House).
	The European Commission has now published legislative proposals which would create additional sanctions to encourage compliance by member states with both the EU's Stability and Growth Pact and its Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. However, these relate only to euro area member states and thus would not apply to the UK.
	The "EU Semester" would require member states to submit their draft budgetary plans to the EU each spring. The Chancellor secured an exemption from this in the EU Stability and Growth Pact Code of Conduct, which explicitly states that the UK will send its final Budget to the EU after it has been presented to Parliament.
	The EU has conducted fiscal and macroeconomic surveillance of its member states for many years under the Stability and Growth Pact and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. Many of the Commission and Taskforce proposals formalise this monitoring and are based on existing provisions of the Treaty under Articles 121 and 126.3-126.8. These articles apply to all member states and any proposals made under these Articles, if adopted, would apply to the UK.
	The Commission's proposals will be considered by the Council and by the European Parliament in due course. They have been submitted to both Houses of Parliament for scrutiny in the usual way.
	Once legislation has been adopted it is open to any one of the EU institutions or to a member state to bring the matter before the European Court of Justice in accordance with Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

DEFENCE

Departmental Public Expenditure

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money his Department allocated to  (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund,  (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool,  (c) the Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund,  (d) the BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust,  (e) the BBC World Service Trust,  (f) the Special Reserve,  (g) the British Council and  (h) the security and intelligence fund in each year since 2005.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 11 October 2010
	The Conflict Pool was formed by the merger of the Stabilisation Aid Fund and Conflict Prevention Pool on 1 April 2009, and is part of a separate HM Treasury settlement on conflict resources which is managed jointly by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The MOD made a contribution from its Treasury settlement of £6.5 million in 2009-10 to supplement funding available from the conflict pool for security and stabilisation work in Afghanistan.
	The following table shows the sums transferred from funds voted by Parliament to the MOD to the Conflict Prevention Pool/conflict pool, the Stabilisation Aid Fund and the Security and Intelligence Account from 2005-06 to 2009-10. It also shows payments made to the British Council for specific services.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Stabilisation Aid Fund - - - 13 - 
			 Conflict Prevention Pool/Conflict Pool 49 51 29 47 67 
			 British Council 0 2 2 2 2 
			 Security and Intelligence Account 0 1 1 2 0 
		
	
	The MOD has not contributed to a Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund or allocated funds to the BBC World Service, the BBC World Service Trust or the British Council.
	The MOD does not contribute funds to the Reserve, which is the responsibility of HM Treasury. The MOD is a net recipient of the Reserve which is used for paying the net additional costs of military operations such as those in Afghanistan and Iraq.
	There is no security and intelligence fund. There is however a Single Intelligence Account to fund the business of the intelligence and security agencies. The MOD is reimbursed for some of the services it provides.

Falkland Islands: Deployment

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made a recent assessment of the capacity of the armed forces to undertake an offensive military operation in the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Government remain unequivocally committed to the defence of the Falkland Islands. I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State for Defence's comments during the strategic defence and security review debate on 4 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 1071-72W.

Military Aircraft

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) training and  (b) other provision his Department plans to make to ensure the availability of a fully operational carrier strike capability as soon as the joint strike fighter fleet is available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: As the Prime Minister made clear in his statement to the House on 19 October 2010, we plan to deliver the carrier strike capability from around 2020. We are currently revising our plans and will ensure everything necessary to deliver this capability is put in place.

Military Aircraft

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an assessment of the feasibility of launching a like-for-like equivalent of the Storm Shadow missile by a means other than a Tornado jet; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence has assessed that it would in principle be technically feasible to launch the Storm Shadow missile, which is the UK's only air launched cruise-missile, from a number of in-service and future fixed-wing platforms other than the Tornado fast jet. These include the Harrier GR9, Hercules C-130J, A400M, Typhoon and joint strike fighter.

Nuclear Submarines: Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what systems there are aboard Astute-class submarines for the avoidance of  (a) stationary objects and  (b) groundings;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of sonar equipment on Royal Navy submarines.

Nick Harvey: Investigations into the grounding incident involving HMS Astute on 22 October 2010 are ongoing, and it is too early to say what the outcome of those investigations will be.
	HMS Astute is fitted with a comprehensive suite of navigation aids including a regularly updated outfit of charts, the ability to fix her position using a Global Position System, visual bearings and radar ranges, and a Ship's Inertial Navigation system.
	The submarine is also fitted with Echo Sounders, which are a derivative of those fitted to in-service submarines. These have been rigorously trialled and tested prior to this incident.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will have discussions with the Defence Manufacturers Association for the purposes of ensuring that future unmanned aerial vehicles are procured from UK manufacturers.

Nick Harvey: Our primary objective is to provide our armed forces with the equipment and support they need, at the right time, and at a cost that represents value for taxpayers' money. We continue to believe the best approach to delivering value for money is through purchasing goods and services from the global market, in which UK companies compete, including off-the-shelf where appropriate. The Ministry of Defence has a number of future unmanned aerial vehicle requirements at different stages of development. MOD regularly has discussions about its future requirements with interested companies, trade bodies and the National Defence Industries Council.

Welfare Pathway Pilots

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of progress in welfare pathway pilots for former service personnel in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales; and when he expects to publish his conclusions.

Andrew Robathan: Since November 2009 six councils have either joined, or are in the process of joining, the Armed Forces Community Welfare Pathway scheme across all three countries.
	The trial period will end in October 2011. It is too early to draw definitive conclusions. A decision about the future of the scheme, based on the experience of the pilots, will be taken after October 2011.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Aung San Suu Kyi

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Burmese Government on the continued house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Jeremy Browne: Aung San Suu Kyi was released on 13 November. Her detention had always been unjust and her release was long overdue. The Government repeatedly lobbied for her release. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Mr Hague) said in his statement this weekend, Aung San Suu Kyi must now be allowed to assume the role of her choosing in the political life of her country without further hindrance or restriction.

BBC

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings Ministers in his Department had with the director-general of the BBC; and whether the matter of pensions was discussed at those meetings.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met the director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation on 20 October. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the transfer of the funding of the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service to the licence fee in 2014-15.
	A full list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is published quarterly on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website at
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/

Colombia: Police

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports on the treatment of a group of indigenous people by members of the Colombian police in Putumayo province on 17 October 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We have received reports that on 17 October the Escuadrón Móvil Antimotines (riot police) allegedly beat and illegally detained six leaders of the Nasa indigenous community in Putumayo province.
	Our embassy in Bogota has made representations to the Presidential Programme on Human Rights about the allegations and continues to monitor the situation.

Departmental Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what allowances and payments in addition to salary were available to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997; and what the monetary value was of payments and allowances of each type in each such year.

Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff may be eligible for certain allowances depending upon where they are posted to work; in the United Kingdom or in a mission overseas. The following figures represent the total amount paid in financial year 2009-10. To obtain figures prior to 2009-10 would incur disproportionate cost.
	 Overseas
	Diplomatic service staff have a global mobility obligation, and will typically spend over half of their careers outside of the UK, moving country every two to three years. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays overseas allowances to compensate for the extra costs incurred through moving frequently and living overseas, the diplomatic service compensation allowance (DSCA). DSCA breaks down into:
	DSCA (diplomatic service allowance) is paid to compensate staff for the range of additional costs that result from the career-long disruption caused by frequent changes of location, and any indirect representational expenses. This can include the cost of visiting children at school back in England in the UK and transport to the UK for annual leave.
	DSCA (hardship) is paid to compensate staff for the additional costs of maintaining quality of life at hardship posts. Examples include the cost of:
	taking additional rest breaks from the country
	security and the need for specialist four wheel drive vehicles
	extra maintenance of vehicles where driving conditions/servicing are poor
	preventative health measures and medicines.
	Each post has an individual score in relation to hardship. Many posts do not reach the qualifying level and therefore people in them do not receive an allowance. Other posts do and for these the rate at which DSCA (hardship) is set depends on their individual score.
	DCSA (spouse or partner pension compensation): there is a small contribution towards a pension for spouses who have lost their state pension entitlement through accompanying their spouse overseas for many years.
	The total for DSCA amount paid in 2009-10 was £23,263,035.
	Cost of living allowances (CoLA) compensate for the additional costs of maintaining UK living standards while staff are overseas. In countries where the cost of living is less expensive than in the UK, CoLA might be set at zero. CoLA may fall as well as rise depending on a number of factors. Rates of CoLA vary between countries and can go up or down during a posting. CoLA is based on data gathered by a private company, Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA). ECA supplies data on expatriate terms and conditions to a wide range of international companies, governments and organisations. Their data are based on information sent in by their members, i.e. expatriates employed by the companies who are part of the network, and are then checked against independent sources such as international surveys. ECA provides an objective and logical means of assessing CoLA requirements. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £20,853,196.
	It is a condition of their employment that members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children have a legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five years. Members of the diplomatic service pay UK tax wherever they work and are entitled to have their children educated at public expense. Most parents prefer to take their children with them on postings, but in some countries we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. The FCO helps staff meet their potentially conflicting obligations by providing financial support for their children's education in the UK where staff choose this, or are obliged to do so given local conditions in the country to which they are posted. Continuity of education is also an important factor, particularly at secondary level.
	Staff serving in the UK were paid £7,487,435, with staff serving at posts overseas receiving £5,843,415
	 United Kingdom
	The FCO uses pay allowances as a cost-effective way to recruit and retain staff to posts that require specialist skills or to compensate for long or unsocial hours. Allowances are non-consolidated monthly payments which are paid in lieu of a consolidated increase to basic salary and cease when staff move from qualifying posts. These allowances are subject to statutory deductions for income tax and national insurance contributions:
	London location allowance: The amount paid in 2009-10 was £6,749,178.
	Overseas location allowance (OLA). OLA has now been abolished as a result of the 2009-10 review of FCO allowances. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £1,366,466.
	Market forces allowance, retention and recruitment allowance, professional qualification allowance, private office allowance, management reviewers/internal audit allowance. retention and recruitment allowance is payable only where our pay range cannot match the salaries we need to offer to recruit staff with unique or much sought after skills. It is awarded only with the express authority of the Deputy Director Human Resources. The total for all the allowances in this paragraph paid in 2009-10 was £1,204,413.
	Shift disturbance allowance, unsocial hours payment. This is paid to all staff below the senior civil service (SCS) working in the UK or on home civil service terms of service overseas who work shifts as their normal pattern of work. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £531,544.
	Hazardous conditions allowance is paid to staff on home tours who visit the top hardship posts-so is paid in the UK and is taxable. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £91,348.
	Overtime/time off in lieu. All UK based staff, below the SCS, working at home and those undertaking duty visits overseas qualify for pre-authorised paid overtime or TOIL, and call/pager/mobile telephone allowances. This is paid to staff who have a specific roster commitment to be continuously and immediately available on-call outside office hours. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £1,917,631.
	All of our allowances are employment law compliant.
	It is not possible to break down the groups of allowances above without incurring disproportionate cost. Nor is it possible to provide information prior to 2009-10 without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the post office network.

Alistair Burt: Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) nor FCO Services currently have any plans to provide services through the post office network.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what services provided by his Department were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98 and have subsequently become the subject of a contract with another supplier; and what the monetary value was of each such contract in  (a) 1997-98 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available in each case.

Alistair Burt: There are no records of services provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98. There are currently no contracts held between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), FCO Services and Royal Mail.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months.

Alistair Burt: In the last six months, my Department has not revoked any regulatory measures.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Alistair Burt: In the last six months, my Department has not introduced any regulatory measures. Regulations are not in general sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Energy: International Co-operation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether agreements were made on energy subsidy reform at the G20 Seoul summit.

Henry Bellingham: At the Seoul summit, the Group of Twenty (G20) leaders reaffirmed their commitment to
	'rationalise and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, which encourage wasteful consumption, with timing based on national circumstances, while providing targeted support for the poorest'.
	G20 Finance and Energy Ministers were directed to report back on the progress made in implementing country-specific strategies at the 2011 summit in France.

EU Action

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the use by the Council of Ministers of first reading agreements with the European Parliament under the co-decision procedure with a view to ensuring adequate scrutiny of proposed directives.

David Lidington: The procedure for agreeing EU legislation with the European Parliament through the ordinary legislative procedure is laid down by the EU treaties. There are no plans to seek a review. To reach a first reading agreement the Council must approve the European Parliament's first reading position. The UK is fully engaged in the consideration of proposals in the Council of Ministers before agreement is given to the European Parliament's position.
	The UK Parliament is given the opportunity to scrutinise documents throughout the co-decision process, through formal explanatory memoranda issued to the scrutiny Committees in both Houses.

Iran: Terrorism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of Iranian involvement with terrorist groups in  (a) southern Lebanon and  (b) Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Iranian support to militia groups in southern Lebanon and Gaza is unacceptable. It further undermines international confidence in Iran and the Iranian Government's claim that it supports peace and stability in the middle east.

Israel: Borders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the use of electronic terminals at checkpoints into Israel from the west bank; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned at a number of Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including restrictions on movement and access for all Palestinians.
	While we welcome Israel's easing of some restrictions on movement and access in the west bank we remain concerned about the increase in temporary checkpoints and increasing restrictions on movement of Palestinians between east Jerusalem and the rest of the west bank.

Israel: Overseas Trade

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the state of British-Israeli trade relations; and what assessment he has made of their contribution to the UK economy.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	Israel is an important trading partner for the UK. Exports of goods to Israel in 2009 were worth over £1 billion and exports of services, a further £500 million.
	Bilateral trade in 2009 was worth £3.07 billion, surpassing the £3 billion target set in 2008. UK exports continue to increase in 2010-up 24% on the same period in 2009 (January to August).
	Inward investment from Israel remains strong. Israeli firms are significant investors in the UK. Over 300 Israeli companies now have a physical presence in the UK, providing thousands of jobs. Over 50 Israeli companies are listed on the AIM and main London stock exchange.

Middle East: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the recent visit of the Iranian President to Lebanon on the political situation in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The political situation in Lebanon remains tense. The visit of President Ahmednijad has not changed that. We expect all countries to respect the sovereignty of Lebanon and to work for its stability. I regret very much the inflammatory statements made by President Ahmednijad during his visit to Lebanon. Such remarks do not contribute to the stability of Lebanon or the region.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Protect Employees in the Workplace

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of legislative provision to protect employees in the workplace.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) provides the appropriate proportionate legislative framework to ensure the health, safety and welfare of those at work.
	The Government's Forward Regulatory Programme, which is under review, will include details of any future legislative measures in this area.

21st Century Welfare

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each response to his Department's consultation document 21st Century Welfare.

Chris Grayling: I will arrange for a copy of each response to be placed in the Library.

Council Tax Benefits

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the funding he plans to provide to local authorities for the distribution of council tax rebate will be ring-fenced.

Steve Webb: The Government are working to develop the new arrangements including the detailed administrative and funding implications for local authorities.

Departmental Sick Leave

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rate of  (a) sickness and  (b) absence was in offices in each region operated by his Department and its agencies in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested for the rate of sickness absence in each region for October 2010, the latest period for which figures are available, is in the table.
	
		
			  Region  Average rate of sickness 
			 East Midlands 9.1 
			 East of England 8.7 
			 London 7.8 
			 North East 7.9 
			 North West 8.6 
			 Scotland 7.7 
			 South East 8.9 
			 South West 8.5 
			 Wales 9.2 
			 West Midlands 8.7 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 7.6 
			  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Personnel Computer, October 2010. 
		
	
	The information requested for other types of absence is not available in the required format and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has cut average sickness absence by 25%, from 11.1 days per employee per year in 2007 to 8.3 days per employee per year currently. The latter figure is below the rate of 9.6 days per employee per year reported by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development for the public sector in 2010. The Department is committed to reducing sickness absence further.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken by  (a) him and  (b) each other Minister in his Department in (i) September and (ii) October 2010.

Chris Grayling: The following table gives details of expenditure on travel undertaken for each of this Department's Ministers during September and October 2010. The Department is currently reviewing travel expenditure across the board with a view to driving out inefficiencies.
	
		
			  DWP Ministers-expenditure on travel 
			   September 2009 (£)  September 2010 (£)  Reduction (%)  October 2009 (£)  October 2010 (£)  Reduction (%) 
			 Total 47,818.70 14,726.12 69 52,177.30 13,549.94 74

Employment and Support Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will stop receiving contributory employment and support allowance after 12 months in each year to 2015.

Chris Grayling: The requested information will be available on 29 November 2010 alongside the autumn statement and will be deposited in the Library.
	Claimants in the work-related activity group who stop receiving contributory employment and support allowance after 12 months will be able to claim income-related employment and support allowance if eligible. We estimate that 60% will be able to claim some income-related employment and support allowance. There will always be a safety net to support those who have no means of supporting themselves.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of individuals in households in which at least one member works for at least 16 hours per week who will  (a) have their income reduced and  (b) fall below the equivalised poverty threshold of 60% of median household income as a result of the removal of contributory employment and support allowance after one year; and what the average amount is by which the income of affected households will be reduced as a result of that measure.

Maria Miller: The requested information will be available on 29 November 2010 alongside the autumn statement and will be deposited in the Library.
	Claimants in the work related activity group who stop receiving contributory employment and support allowance after 12 months will be able to claim income-related employment and support allowance if eligible. We estimate that 60% will be able to claim some income-related employment and support allowance once their contributory entitlement has ended. There will always be a safety net to support those who have no means of supporting themselves.
	The Department will publish full impact assessments for the proposed measures, in the normal way, when it lays the relevant legislation.

Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households in  (a) Aberdeen South constituency,  (b) Aberdeen local authority and  (c) Scotland which will be affected by the implementation of his proposal to limit to one year the payment of contributory employment and support allowance for those in the work-related activity group.

Chris Grayling: The requested information will be available on 29 November 2010 alongside the autumn statement and will be deposited in the Library.
	However, to give a general indication of scale, at the end of February 2010, there were 43,070 people receiving contributory employment and support allowance in the work related activity group in Great Britain. The equivalent figure for  (a) the Aberdeen South constituency was 60,  (b) the Aberdeen city local authority was 190 and  (c) Scotland was 3,850.
	Claimants in the work related activity group who stop receiving contributory employment and support allowance after 12 months will be able to claim income-related employment and support allowance if eligible. We estimate that 60% will be able to claim some income-related ESA once their entitlement to contributory employment and support allowance has ended. There will always be a safety net to support those who have no means of supporting themselves.
	 Notes
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. ESA statistics can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=esa
	3. Benefit type: The benefit type is defined as pay status at the caseload date. This may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim.
	4. Stage of ESA claim: The stage of claim is derived from the amount of payment a claimant receives. There are a number of cases where the stage is unknown, these are claimants which do not receive any payment for ESA (credits only).
	5. Constituencies used for February 2010 are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
	6. As ESA is still a relatively new benefit, the number of customers claiming contributory ESA in the Work Related Activity Group will be likely to increase between now and 2012. In addition, we have now begun reassessing 1.5 million people on existing incapacity benefits, and anticipate that over half of these customers will move onto ESA in the Work Related Activity Group. Some of these customers will be making a claim for contributory ESA. The number of people who will be subject to the one year time limit will therefore be likely to have increased by the time we introduce the measure in 2012.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100%

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral statement of 9 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 168-69, on housing benefit, what the  (a) composition,  (b) sources and  (c) timescale are of the £140 million funding for discretionary housing payments.

Steve Webb: The information requested about the £140 million discretionary funding for housing costs is in the following table:
	
		
			   Source  Purpose  Amount (£ million) 
			 2010-11 Department for Communities and Local Government Homelessness prevention funding 10 
			 2011-12 Department for Work and Pensions Discretionary Housing Payments 10 
			 2012-13 Department for Work and Pensions Discretionary Housing Payments 40 
			 2013-14 Department for Work and Pensions Discretionary Housing Payments 40 
			 2014-15 Department for Work and Pensions Discretionary Housing Payments 40 
			 Total   140 
		
	
	This funding is in addition to the £20 million yearly contribution which the Department already makes towards local authorities' discretionary housing payment budgets.

Housing Benefit: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely growth rate for  (a) local housing allowance and  (b) the consumer price index from 2013-14 to 2014-15 on the basis of the policy costings in the June 2010 Budget.

Steve Webb: Our current estimate for the likely growth rate from 2013-14 to 2014-15 for the local housing allowance is 4% and for the consumer price index 2%.

Housing Benefit: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level is of the uprating index referred to in the June 2010 Budget policy costings that was calculated on the basis of growth in housing benefit eligible rent and council tax benefit from 2001-02.

Steve Webb: The policy costing for the change to the non-dependant deduction rates announced at the June 2010 Budget was based on our understanding of the growth of housing benefit eligible rent and council tax benefit eligible council tax between 2001-02 and 2014-15, and incorporates historical data and internal forecast assumptions.
	The non-dependant deduction rates that will apply from 2011-12 have not yet been announced. The increased rates will be included in the statement on uprating to be given to Parliament shortly and confirmed by way of legislation in the annual benefit Uprating Order. Implementation will be part of the Department's and local authorities' annual uprating exercises.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency have received hardship payments in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold reliable data on the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants in the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency who have received hardship payments in the last 12 months. Therefore, the information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency have contested benefit sanctions in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency have received benefit sanctions in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: There have been 1,070 labour market decisions resulting in a sanction or disentitlement for JSA claimants in the Cumbernauld Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency between August 2009 and July 2010, of which 190 decisions were reconsidered by a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker and 30 went to appeal.
	 Notes:
	1. The statistics are JSA Labour Market Decisions-not JSA Payment decisions, where initial entitlement to claim JSA is decided. They include disentitlement decisions.
	2. All figures show the latest decision given for each case referred-if a case has been reconsidered, the new decision is taken.
	3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control is applied.
	4. Latest figures only available up to end July 2010.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Mental Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 775W, on mental health services, if he will make it his policy that officials in his Department engaged in delivering the Work programme should receive specific training in recognising, and dealing with, the needs of people diagnosed with depression.

Chris Grayling: The Work programme will be delivered by contractors drawn from the private, public and voluntary sectors, as well as social enterprises. It will help people with a wide variety of needs, and providers will be given the freedom to design support based on an individual's needs. Specialist organisations will continue to have a role to play, and there will be lots of opportunities for them to work with larger delivery partners as subcontractors.
	We will offer flexible support through Jobcentre Plus to customers before they are referred to the Work programme. The support that Jobcentre Plus delivers to customers across all working age benefits will allow more flexibility to Jobcentre Plus managers and advisers to judge which interventions will help individual customers most cost-effectively and meet local need.
	Each Jobcentre Plus district has a mental health co-ordinator who supports advisers to provide tailored, personalised support to people who have mental health conditions and over the last year all Jobcentre Plus new claim advisers have had the opportunity to attend mental health training.
	Jobcentre Plus learning products currently available for frontline staff include awareness of a range of customer groups including an overview of disability and health conditions, with signposts to sources of specialist help, including the disability employment adviser (DEA) role. DEAs, who focus on customers needing more extensive support, receive further levels of skills training appropriate to their customers, including skills practice in interviewing customers with depression. Furthermore, this learning will be reviewed as appropriate in accordance with the needs of the Work programme.
	In addition, advisers, including DEAs, can seek help from their work psychologist colleagues to assist them in supporting customers where appropriate. All Jobcentres have access to DEA services, either by DEAs located within the Jobcentre or, for example, in more rural areas access to peripatetic DEAs who provide services across a number of locations.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Members: Correspondence

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) of 28 October 2010 on Jenny Watson.

Bob Neill: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has replied directly to the right hon. Member.

Tenant Services Authority

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2010,  Official Report, column 313W, on housing: regulation, when he plans to announce the outcomes of the review of the Tenant Services Authority.

Grant Shapps: I announced the outcomes of the review of the Tenant Services Authority on 18 October. A copy of the resulting report can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/socialhousingregulation

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Art Works: Auckland Castle

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, on what dates the Church Commissioners took decisions relating to the sale of the Zurbaran paintings and Auckland castle in 2010; and whether these decisions were amended on any subsequent date.

Tony Baldry: No decision on the future of Auckland castle has been made at this time and matters relating to the Zurbaran paintings housed within the castle have been discussed at each of the Church Commissioners Board of Governors meetings in 2010.

Art Works: Auckland Castle

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, on what dates the Church Commissioners sought advice from  (a) lawyers,  (b) public relations consultants,  (c) auctioneers,  (d) estate agents and  (e) other professionals in relation to the Zurbaran paintings and Auckland castle in 2010.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners, in common with other land and property owners, take professional advice in connection with their interests and assets on a regular basis and cover a wide range of issues.

Art Works: Auckland Castle

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what costs the Church Commissioners have incurred for professional services in relation to the Zurbaran paintings and Auckland castle from  (a) Mischon de Reya,  (b) Chelgate,  (c) Sotheby's and Christie's,  (d) Smiths Gore and  (e) other professionals in the last five years.

Tony Baldry: For reasons of commercial sensitivity the Church Commissioners are unable to disclose the details of any professional costs incurred.

Church Commissioners

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, which Commissioners attended each meeting of the Church Commissioners in 2010.

Tony Baldry: The Board of Governors' of the Church Commissioners has met four times this year. The majority of the board were present at each meeting.

Legal Advice

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, for what purposes the Church Commissioners have sought advice from  (a) lawyers and  (b) public relations consultants in the last five years.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners regularly take specialist legal and other advice where we are duty bound to do so. In addition, the Church Commissioners would seek to use professional advisers to supplement and support our existing advisers and expertise.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months.

Alan Duncan: In the last six months, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not revoked any regulatory measures.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Alan Duncan: In the last six months, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not introduced any regulatory measures.

Developing Countries: Debts

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of his Department's aid budget he plans to allocate to debt relief in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Andrew Mitchell: In the SR10 settlement we have made provision for the UK's contribution towards the main international debt relief initiatives; the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). We have also made provision for the additional debt relief that the UK provides to poor countries, including under the UK Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative.
	
		
			  SR10 debt relief allocations 
			   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 Debt relief allocation(1) (£ million) 120 100 100 110 
			 As a percentage of DFID DEL (not including conflict pool)(2) 2 1 1 1 
			 (1 )Figures rounded to nearest £10 million.(  2 )Rounded to 0 decimal places. 
		
	
	Debt relief is also provided by other parts of the UK Government. The Government anticipate some debt relief for Sudan, Zimbabwe and others during the comprehensive spending review period, providing certain conditions are met.

MOPAN

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many donor countries participate in the multilateral aid assessment body MOPAN; what his policy is on the transfer of the management of MOPAN to the OECD's Development Assistance Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: There are 16 donor country Governments in the Multilateral Organisations Performance Assessment Network, MOPAN; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. MOPAN is an informal intergovernmental network with responsibilities shared out on a voluntary basis. The network is currently examining options as to how it could be managed in the future. One of these is to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), however, other options are also being investigated. We, along with other MOPAN member Governments, will look at the options carefully before deciding which is the most suitable for MOPAN.

Overseas Aid

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of children, mothers and babies whose lives were saved in 2009-10 as a consequence of his Department's programmes.

Andrew Mitchell: Using the methodology agreed by the G8 this year at the Muskoka summit, which was developed with the support of the World Bank, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, the Government's indicative estimate of the number of lives saved as a consequence of DFID programmes in 2009-10 is 150,000 children, 7,000 women and 35,000 newborns.
	An important part of the new Business Plan for Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health will be a rigorous approach to achieving and monitoring results. The public consultation on the plan has just closed; we have received an unprecedented level of public and professional support.

Thailand-Burma Border

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation on the Thailand-Burma border, and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The situation on the Thailand-Burma border remains unstable following the recent outbreaks of fighting in eastern Burma. Most of the people who fled to Thailand this month have now returned to Burma. We are keeping the situation under review, in close touch with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, non-governmental organisations and the Thai authorities.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £7.5 million between 2009 and 2012 for people affected by conflict in eastern Burma. This assistance is being delivered through a number of non-governmental organisations. It includes the provision of food, shelter and improved access to legal assistance for Burmese refugees in Thailand, as well as aid for health care, water, sanitation and food security for displaced people in eastern Burma. DFID has not been asked for additional funding in response to the most recent fighting.

TRANSPORT

Bikeability Scheme: Children

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of children who have participated in the Bikeability scheme in each year since 2007.

Norman Baker: The Government have been funding National Standard and Bikeability cycle training in schools since 2006-07 with detailed monitoring of delivery in place since 2007-08. Details of the training delivered are set out in the following table for the period 2006-07 to 2009-10.
	
		
			  Number 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  Total 
			 Local authorities 9,000 27,000 74,000 102,000 212,000 
			 School sports partnerships 4,000 8,000 21,000 66,000 99,000 
			 Total 13,000 35,000 95,000 168,000 311,000 
			  Note:  1. Figures are rounded up to the nearest 1,000. 
		
	
	The figures are based on returns from local authorities and school sports partnerships.
	Although we do not have an accurate figure for training places funded and delivered by local authorities in England in addition to those funded by the Government, we estimate local authorities outside of London deliver between 20,000 and 30,000 additional Level 2 National Standard or Bikeability places each year.
	On 14 October 2010, the Government announced that Bikeability training for children will be supported for the remainder of this Parliament.

Driving: EU Action

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to increase the level of information-sharing between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and its counterpart organisations in Europe to reduce the number of vehicle offences committed by EU drivers without UK licences.

Michael Penning: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) shares information with EU member states when registering imported vehicles and exchanging driving licences. This helps prevent stolen vehicles from being registered in other member states and allows the validity of driving licences to be confirmed prior to exchange.
	From January 2013, member states will be required to exchange information on driving licences they have issued, exchanged, replaced, renewed or revoked.

Driving: Insurance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the number of uninsured drivers in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) England,  (c) Cambridgeshire Constabulary and  (d) North East Cambridgeshire constituency.

Michael Penning: About 1.4 million vehicles (4% of the total) in Great Britain are estimated to be driven by uninsured drivers based on a comparison of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) database of registered vehicles and the Motor Insurance Database (MID). No information is held on a regional or constituency basis.
	In addition to existing measures to tackle uninsured driving, a Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme is planned. The scheme will identify uninsured vehicles by comparing information held on the same databases on a regular basis. Enforcement action will be taken against keepers of uninsured vehicles.

Ports

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of delegating responsibility for vessel reporting and clearance at UK ports to chartered shipbrokers; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: No assessment has been made with respect to delegating responsibility for vessel reporting and clearance at UK ports to chartered shipbrokers.
	Vessel arrival, departure, details of dangerous and polluting goods, and position reporting is the responsibility of the ship's master, agent, or operator.
	Those reports are fed, via the UK's ports and harbours (who have the legal status of local competent authorities), to the consolidated European reporting system (CERS) operated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Those data are relayed, in turn, to the European Maritime Safety Agency's SafeSeaNet system. This process is entirely consistent with the requirements of the relevant European directives relating to vessel traffic monitoring and to port state control, and with the UK law.
	The matter of clearance, whether it is for excise or for immigration purposes, is a matter for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the UK Borders Agency respectively.

Transport: Local Government Finance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the proposed block funding to local authorities for small transport improvement schemes will be ring-fenced;
	(2)  whether the proposed block funding to local authorities for highways maintenance will be ring-fenced.

Norman Baker: holding answer 28 October 2010
	No. Block funding provided to local authorities from 2011-12 for small transport schemes and highway maintenance will not be ring-fenced. This will give local authorities flexibility to spend the funding as they see fit to meet local priorities.
	I recently announced the establishment of a £560 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund to enable local government to deliver sustainable transport measures that support local economies while reducing carbon. The fund will be allocated though a light touch bidding and assessment process which will maximise the discretion available to local authorities on how they use the funding. Further details about how the fund will operate will be published shortly.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Pay

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has for the future oversight of earnings and hours worked by agricultural and horticultural workers in England and Wales.

James Paice: We intend to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board and agricultural minimum wage regime, and to bring agricultural and horticultural workers in England and Wales within the framework of the national minimum wage legislation and working time regulations, in line with workers in all other sectors of the economy. This will require specific amendments to the relevant legislation, which will happen simultaneously with the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board.
	The Low Pay Commission will be asked to include agricultural workers in its evidence gathering for recommendations on the national minimum wage rate.
	Enforcement of the national minimum wage is carried out by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, and HMRC will take on responsibility for enforcing the legislation in respect of agricultural and horticultural workers.

Animal Welfare

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) evaluated on levels of pain caused to cattle slaughtered by the halal method.

James Paice: holding answer 16 November 2010
	 DEFRA and the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry commissioned and joint-funded research to investigate the effects of slaughter by ventral neck incision on the electroencephalogram (EEG) in calves (Project Number MH0129). This work commenced in January 2005 and the final report was published in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal in April 2009. It can be viewed at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu& Module=More&Location=None&Completed=0& ProjectID=13009
	The work indicates that the neck cut associated with religious slaughter evokes a pain response in anesthetised calves.

Food: Labelling

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with which food industry  (a) representatives and  (b) organisations she has had recent discussions on the labelling of halal meat.

James Paice: I discussed the labelling of halal meat with chief executives of the major grocery retailers on 21 October. The issue was also discussed at a meeting with Shechita UK and Members of this House on 3 November. This topic was also covered in a meeting with the Business Services Association on 9 November.
	I also intend to raise this issue when I meet representatives from the food manufacturing, retail and food service sectors later this month.

Food: Standards

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) Government and  (b) public sector funding was allocated to food meeting British Farm Assured standards in the most recent year for which figures are available; what estimate she has made of the monetary value to British farmers of this expenditure; and if she will estimate the level of revenue which would accrue to British farmers if all public sector food procurement met British Farm Assured standards.

James Paice: We estimate that the public sector as a whole spends just over £2 billion on food and food services each year and that about £922 million per year of this is spent on food and food ingredients. Of this, £322 million is spent by central Government and the remaining £600 million by the wider public sector. The most recent data on central Government food procurement are included in the third report on the proportion of domestically produced food in the public sector, published at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/policy/publicsectorfood/
	This relates to central Government, those parts of the NHS supplied by the NHS Supply Chain and the MOD; it also includes data on "the percentage of farm assured food of all food supplied" on a Department by Department basis. The range varies from 0 to 100%. No estimates of the monetary value of this expenditure have been possible as we do not have detailed data on the proportion of specific commodities procured meeting farm assurance standards. We do not have any data on the proportion of food meeting farm assurance or equivalent standards procured by the wider public sector.

Forestry Commission

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what land is owned by the Forestry Commission in each constituency.

James Paice: holding answer 16 November 2010
	The public forest estate is owned or leased by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commissioners under section 39(1) of the Forestry Act 1967. It comprises 18% of total forest area in England; 13% is owned by other public bodies and 69% is in private hands.
	The Forestry Commission's estimate of the area of land which is owned or leased in each constituency in England as at 31 March 2010 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Area (hectares) 
			 Hexham Co Const 49,299 
			 New Forest East Co Const 17,974 
			 South West Norfolk Co Const 11,715 
			 Penrith and the Border Co Const 11,624 
			 Forest of Dean Co Const 10,427 
			 Thirsk and Malton Co Const 10,047 
			 New Forest West Co Const 9,639 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed Co Const 8,673 
			 West Suffolk Co Const 7,386 
			 Scarborough and Whitby Co Const 6,824 
			 Copeland Co Const 5,473 
			 Westmorland and Lonsdale Co Const 4,870 
			 Torridge and West Devon Co Const 4,563 
			 Gainsborough Co Const 3,176 
			 Ludlow Co Const 3,158 
			 North Herefordshire Co Const 3,123 
			 Suffolk Coastal Co Const 3,109 
			 Sherwood Co Const 3,034 
			 Bishop Auckland Co Const 2,801 
			 Devizes Co Const 2,441 
			 Chichester Co Const 2,349 
			 Central Devon Co Const 2,285 
			 Workington Co Const 2,264 
			 North Cornwall Co Const 2,087 
			 Bridgwater and West Somerset Co Const 2,083 
			 Corby Co Const 2,064 
			 Winchester Co Const 2,018 
			 High Peak Co Const 1,906 
			 North East Hampshire Co Const 1,893 
			 North Dorset Co Const 1,606 
			 Cannock Chase Co Const 1,558 
			 Mid Dorset and North Poole Co Const 1,542 
			 Bexhill and Battle Co Const 1,533 
			 Grantham and Stamford Co Const 1,527 
			 Ribble Valley Co Const 1,443 
			 South Dorset Co Const 1,439 
			 Bassetlaw Co Const 1,416 
			 Richmond (Yorks) Co Const 1,398 
			 Christchurch Co Const 1,394 
			 Hereford Co Const 1,346 
			 York Outer Co Const 1,345 
			 Stone Co Const 1,305 
			 Ashford Co Const 1,238 
			 East Hampshire Co Const 1,152 
			 Isle of Wight Co Const 1,151 
			 Taunton Co Const 1,137 
			 Stafford Co Const 969 
			 Northampton South Boro Const 919 
			 Ashfield Co Const 893 
			 Eddisbury Co Const 879 
			 South West Surrey Co Const 878 
			 South East Cornwall Co Const 857 
			 Mid Norfolk Co Const 799 
			 Daventry Co Const 790 
			 Blaydon Boro Const 732 
			 North Norfolk Co Const 711 
			 Salisbury Co Const 707 
			 Mole Valley Co Const 685 
			 North Devon Co Const 683 
			 Arundel and South Downs Co Const 676 
			 West Dorset Co Const 668 
			 Lichfield Co Const 657 
			 Canterbury Co Const 640 
			 Lewes Co Const 633 
			 Horsham Co Const 624 
			 Newark Co Const 612 
			 East Devon Co Const 586 
			 Buckingham Co Const 578 
			 Eastbourne Boro Const 570 
			 Romsey and Southampton North Co Const 553 
			 Derbyshire Dales Co Const 548 
			 Selby and Ainsty Co Const 537 
			 South West Devon Co Const 531 
			 Rutland and Melton Co Const 498 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham Co Const 488 
			 Wells Co Const 484 
			 Folkestone and Hythe Co Const 480 
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Co Const 478 
			 Henley Co Const 473 
			 Chesham and Amersham Co Const 469 
			 North West Cambridgeshire Co Const 407 
			 Wealden Co Const 403 
			 Tiverton and Honiton Co Const 390 
			 North Wiltshire Co Const 381 
			 Louth and Horncastle Co Const 377 
			 Tunbridge Wells Co Const 376 
			 Aylesbury Co Const 373 
			 Mid Bedfordshire Co Const 359 
			 Penistone and Stocksbridge Co Const 359 
			 North East Bedfordshire Co Const 343 
			 Sleaford and North Hykeham Co Const 333 
			 Maidstone and the Weald Co Const 312 
			 Bolsover Co Const 303 
			 South Derbyshire Co Const 297 
			 Saffron Walden Co Const 296 
			 Barnsley East and Mexborough Co Const 294 
			 North Somerset Co Const 265 
			 Wellingborough Co Const 263 
			 Mid Sussex Co Const 257 
			 Bracknell Co Const 240 
			 Upminster Boro Const 234 
			 North West Hampshire Co Const 219 
			 Skipton and Ripon Co Const 215 
			 Wyre Forest Co Const 215 
			 North West Leicestershire Co Const 210 
			 Weaver Vale Co Const 209 
			 Stockton South Boro Const 199 
			 Stratford-on-Avon Co Const 192 
			 Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough Co Const 188 
			 Braintree Co Const 187 
			 Worsley and Eccles South Co Const 180 
			 Wantage Co Const 168 
			 South Suffolk Co Const 160 
			 Warwick and Leamington Co Const 154 
			 St. Helens South and Whiston Boro Const 151 
			 East Yorkshire Co Const 148 
			 Gravesham Co Const 147 
			 Wycombe Co Const 145 
			 Mansfield Co Const 131 
			 South East Cambridgeshire Co Const 130 
			 Knowsley North and Sefton East Co Const 123 
			 Truro and St. Austell Co Const 114 
			 North West Norfolk Co Const 108 
			 Lancaster and Fleetwood Co Const 105 
			 Don Valley Co Const 104 
			 North Shropshire Co Const 104 
			 Harwich and North Essex Co Const 102 
			 North East Derbyshire Co Const 100 
			 Reading West Co Const 98 
			 West Worcestershire Co Const 96 
			 Makerfield Co Const 96 
			 Maidenhead Co Const 95 
			 Doncaster North Co Const 95 
			 Tonbridge and Mailing Co Const 94 
			 Rother Valley Co Const 93 
			 Eastleigh Boro Const 90 
			 Kingswood Boro Const 89 
			 Milton Keynes North Co Const 83 
			 Sedgefield Co Const 81 
			 Salford and Eccles Boro Const 80 
			 Basingstoke Co Const 79 
			 Morecambe and Lunesdale Co Const 77 
			 Warrington South Boro Const 73 
			 Hemel Hempstead Co Const 70 
			 Kenilworth and Southam Co Const 68 
			 Broxtowe Co Const 62 
			 Kettering Co Const 61 
			 Thurrock Boro Const 60 
			 South West Hertfordshire Co Const 60 
			 Beaconsfield Co Const 59 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands Co Const 59 
			 Leigh Co Const 57 
			 Hornchurch and Upminster Boro Const 55 
			 Guildford Co Const 54 
			 South Swindon Co Const 54 
			 South West Bedfordshire Co Const 51 
			 Bury South Boro Const 50 
			 Barnsley Central Boro Const 50 
			 North West Durham Co Const 44 
			 Exeter Boro Const 44 
			 Birkenhead Boro Const 42 
			 North Warwickshire Co Const 42 
			 Havant Boro Const 42 
			 Tatton Co Const 41 
			 Bolton North East Boro Const 36 
			 Crawley Boro Const 34 
			 Rochdale Co Const 27 
			 South port Boro Const 25 
			 Wallasey Boro Const 19 
			 Blackley and Broughton Boro Const 18 
			 South Staffordshire Co Const 18

Forestry Commission

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what criteria relating to biodiversity will be applied to determine the disposal and retention of Forestry Commission land in England in the period from 2011 to 2014;
	(2)  what criteria relating to biodiversity are applied to determine the disposal and retention of Forestry Commission land in England.

James Paice: Every woodland and forest managed by the Forestry Commission has a set of 27 characteristics that are applied to it. Of these characteristics, 13 relate specifically to biodiversity interests, including whether the land has a protective designation such as site of special scientific interest or the presence of significant species such as red squirrels, European protected species (e.g. bats, dormice or great crested newt), birds of prey (e.g. ospreys and goshawks) or priority butterfly species.
	Using these characteristics a careful assessment is made of the potential impact of a sale on the biodiversity interest of the land before a decision is made on whether or not to include it in the disposals programme.

Forests

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the net cost to the public purse of managing all the public forests in England in financial year 2009-10.

James Paice: For 2009-10, the cost relating to those forests managed by the Forestry Commission in England was £14,251,000. My Department does not collect information on the costs of managing other public forests.

Forests: Cycling

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will take steps to ensure that cycling will continue to be encouraged in any public forest which is sold or transferred out of public ownership;
	(2)  if she will take steps to ensure  (a) the maintenance of and  (b) free access to purpose-built mountain bike trails in any public forest which is sold or transferred out of public ownership.

James Paice: I wrote to all hon. Members on 29 October about this issue. DEFRA and the Forestry Commission will consult the public on proposals for the public forest estate in England. We will invite views from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership and management options while protecting public benefits. When publishing proposals we will explore further the options for securing and increasing the wide range of public benefits currently delivered by Government ownership, and how they might be achieved at lower cost.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government plans to determine its policy on genetically modified organisms; and whether she plans to discuss that policy at the next Agricultural and Fisheries European Council meeting.

James Paice: The Government are currently considering their overall policy on genetically modified (GM) organisms. The next meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council is scheduled for 29 and 30 November, but there is no GM-related item on the current provisional agenda.

Milk: Prices

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions there have been between her Department and the Office of Fair Trading on the price paid to dairy farmers for milk.

James Paice: DEFRA officials have had recent discussions with counterparts in the Office of Fair Trading concerning the EU High Level Group on Milk, including any potential benefits or impacts this may have on the price paid to UK dairy farmers for milk.
	The High Level Group published its final report and recommendations on 15 June 2010 and called for a Commission response on contractual relations, the bargaining power of producers, provision for inter-branch organisations and transparency.
	DEFRA officials continue to discuss outcomes which may follow the High Level Group process with the Office of Fair Trading.

Sustainable Development

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, of 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 1094W, on the Sustainable Development Commission, what enhanced departmental capability and presence she expects to establish following the withdrawal of funding from her Department to the Sustainable Development Commission.

James Paice: We are currently considering the implications of the spending review and how the departmental budget will be shared across our priorities. We are also in discussion with the Sustainable Development Commission to establish which of its existing staff will transfer to DEFRA with the functions we are also transferring. These functions include some aspects of the commission's stakeholder engagement and capability-building work.

Water: Prices

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the compatibility of a national social tariff for water bills with Exchequer rules on levy-funded subsidies.

Richard Benyon: Levy-funded subsidies are classified as "tax and spend" in the National Accounts by the Office for National Statistics. Any new subsidy provided through a national social tariff would also be likely to be classified as "tax and spend". Any national social tariff treated as such would need to be consistent with Exchequer policy, and decisions on taxation are made by the Chancellor in the round.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has for the sustainable exploitation of bioenergy resources from the agricultural sector.

Charles Hendry: Biomass heat and electricity could provide about 30% of the UK's 2020 target of 15% renewable energy (about 4.5%) of overall energy demand). Increased bioenergy deployment offers commercial opportunities for the UK's agriculture sector, which the Government are keen to see realised. Biomass resources include wood fuel from undermanaged woodlands; crop residues such as straw; waste resources such as manures, slurries, sewage sludge, waste wood and food waste; and purpose-grown perennial energy crops, such as short rotation coppice willow and woody grasses such as Miscanthus.
	We are working to reduce costs and overcome barriers to deployment. Support to produce and supply biomass fuel is available for farmers and rural enterprises through the Rural Development Programme for England. We support the deployment of biomass electricity through the renewables obligation, and through feed-in tariffs for anaerobic digestion. We will support biomass heat through the new Renewable Heat Incentive from June 2011. These measures provide long-term revenue stability for investors and developers alike. Working with DECC, DEFRA aims to publish shortly a framework document for anaerobic digestion which will set out the steps Government consider need to be taken to increase deployment of this technology in England. This document will be the starting point for close collaboration between Government, industry and other interested parties.
	It is essential that biomass fuel is produced sustainably. We intend to introduce sustainability criteria in April 2011 under the renewables obligation. The criteria will include minimum greenhouse gas emissions savings and restrictions to protect land important on carbon or biodiversity grounds.

Biofuels

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the carbon footprint caused by the importation of biomass which has been cut, dried and transported from its country of origin by sea to the UK and then transported within the UK to biomass plants for combustion.

Charles Hendry: In 2008, the Environment Agency, the Biomass Energy Centre and DEFRA developed a Biomass Environmental Assessment Tool (BEAT) as an aid to assessing the likely environmental impact of a biomass energy project in the UK. This tool calculates the emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide over the whole lifecycle of a biomass transport of the biomass, to combustion at a power station or boiler and disposal of ashes.
	This tool was used in the preparation of a report, 'Minimising greenhouse gas emissions from biomass energy generation', published in April 2009, that assessed the greenhouse gas (GHG) savings for biomass feedstocks used in heat and power schemes in the UK compared to fossil fuel. A copy of this report is available from the Environment Agency's website. This report showed that where imported biomass feedstocks were cultivated, processed and transported with due consideration for sustainability, significant GHG lifecycle savings compared to fossil fuel could be delivered. Good practices would include, for example, shipping the biomass in large container vessels and using renewable or low carbon energy to fuel the processing plant.
	We are proposing to introduce sustainability criteria, under the renewables obligation, for the use of solid and gaseous biomass to generate electricity. These criteria include a GHG lifecycle emissions saving of 60% compared to fossil fuel and restrictions on the use of material from land important on carbon or biodiversity grounds. These criteria would apply to both UK and imported biomass feedstocks.

Biofuels: Feed-in Tariffs

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what levels of feed-in tariff he plans to adopt for the generation of  (a) biogas,  (b) biomethane and  (c) electricity from anaerobic digestion.

Charles Hendry: We expect to be in a position to announce the details of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)scheme, including RHI tariffs and technologies supported, before the end of this year. This will include our decisions on biogas and biomethane.
	Under the Renewables Obligation electricity generated by anaerobic digestion (AD) receives two Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) per MWh. The feed-in tariff for electricity from anaerobic digestion is 11.5p per KWh for schemes of up to 500 kW and 9p per KWh for those between 500 kW and 5 MW.

Carbon Emissions: Business

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the introduction of mandatory carbon reporting for businesses under section 85 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Gregory Barker: pursuant to the reply, 6 July 2010, Official Report, c.147W
	I met my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley) (the Department responsible for policy on company reporting of greenhouse gas emissions) in October to discuss this issue.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will meet representatives of the heating and hot water industry to discuss the proposed Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: The ministerial team and my officials regularly meet a range of stakeholders on issues around heat demand and low carbon heat technologies including those representing the heating and hot water industry. During the past few months, the Green Deal has been part of these discussions. I and my officials will continue to meet a range of stakeholders as the Green Deal develops, including the heating and hot water industry.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he expects to be made towards cutting carbon dioxide emissions at the 2010 Climate Change Conference in Cancun.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to working towards an ambitious global deal to tackle climate change. At Cancun, we want to see substantive progress made on a politically balanced package of decisions that help re-establish momentum towards that goal.
	Our aim is that this package should include decisions on anchoring developed and developing country mitigation pledges into the formal UNFCCC process, agreement on the measurement, reporting and verification arrangements for emissions from both developed and developing countries, arrangements for the future governance of climate finance (including establishing the Green Fund), measures to reduce emissions from deforestation, as well as arrangements on market mechanisms, the technology mechanism and adaptation framework.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the monetary value was of contracts between his Department and its predecessors and  (a) Post Office Ltd. and  (b) Royal Mail in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) each year since 2004-05.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created on 3 October 2008, merging functions previously undertaken by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
	Because of the way information was held on the accounting systems of predecessor Departments, it is not possible to identify DECC's share of expenditure with specific suppliers prior to 2009-10.
	Expenditure with the Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail for the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Supplier  2009-10  1 April  to 17 November 2010 
			 Royal Mail 3,172 679 
			 Post Office Ltd 0 0

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not deliver services of the type that would be suitable for delivery by post offices. Much of what the Department delivers is quite technical in nature, is through the use of energy company licences or is via regional telephone and web-based advice centres.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Gregory Barker: There has been no DECC primary legislation introduced into Parliament in the period from 15 May 2010 to 15 November 2010.
	The following statutory instruments have been made by DECC Ministers in that period:
	The Energy Act 2008 (Consequential Modifications) (Offshore Environmental Protection) Order 2010 (SI 2010/1513)
	The Energy Act 2008 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2010 (SI 2010/1888)
	The Energy Act 2004 (Commencement No. 10) Order 2010 (SI 2010/1889)
	The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1893)
	The Sale of Electricity by Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1908)
	The Sale of Electricity by Local Authorities (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1910)
	The Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction) (Amendment) Order 2010 (SI 2010/1958)
	The Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1996)
	The Radioactive Contaminated Land Regulations (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2145)
	The Radioactive Contaminated Land (Modification of Enactments) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2146)
	The Radioactive Contaminated Land (Enabling Powers and Modification of Enactments) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2147)
	The Radioactive Contaminated Land (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2153)
	The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Licensing etc.) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2221)
	The Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2715)
	Not included are any regulations made by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, or any regulations laid in draft but not yet made.

Fuel Poverty

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the effects of recent changes to  (a) British Gas and  (b) Scottish and Southern Energy tariffs on levels of fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: The impact of recent changes in domestic energy prices on fuel poverty will lead to upward pressure on fuel poverty in 2011. However, the true effect will only be known when we have full information on prices from all suppliers, and full survey data used for compiling the estimates of fuel poverty, including the mix of domestic fuels used by households, the income of those living in the households and the energy efficiency of the housing stock. An assessment of the likely impact of all these changes will be made next summer when DECC publish 2011 projections of fuel poverty for England.
	Fuel poverty projections for 2009 and 2010 for England were published in October in the annual report on fuel poverty statistics:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/fuelpov_stats.aspx

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in each year since its creation.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent nothing on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies since its creation on 3 October 2008.

Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months.

Gregory Barker: In the last six months, the Department has not revoked any regulatory measures(1).
	However, we have introduced two deregulatory statutory instruments which prescribe a power to allow local authorities to sell electricity generated from renewable as well as combined heat and power sources:
	The Sale of Electricity by Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1908)
	The Sale of Electricity by Local Authorities (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1910)
	Also, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, responsible for the Department's regulatory agenda, wrote to 250 of the Department's key stakeholders asking for their views on ways to reduce DECC's regulatory burden. The response letter from my noble Friend and a summary of responses to this exercise was published 12 November on the DECC internet site:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/better_reg/better_reg.aspx
	My noble Friend's response announced plans to repeal 28 regulations. The exact process for repealing these is still being explored (a suitable vehicle for repeal needs to be found, and consultation with relevant parties such as the devolved administrations will need to take place for certain policies).
	We will also be continuing to scrutinise our stock of regulation and pipeline measures inherited from the previous administration with a view to finding OUTs, for the one-in, one-out regulatory management system.
	(1) Notes:
	The Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2301) were revoked and replaced by the Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1996). The 2009 regulations will however continue to have effect for some purposes.
	We have not included any revocations of DECC legislation by other Departments, or any partial revocations of DECC legislation.
	We have not included any regulations revoked by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority.

Renewable Energy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 722W, on renewable energy, what estimate he has made of the change in  (a) domestic and  (b) commercial electricity bills consequent upon the provision of around 30 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources in 2020.

Charles Hendry: Based on our last published estimates in July 2010, we estimate renewables policies will add £105 (26%) to the average annual domestic electricity bill in 2020 and £246,000 (25%) to the average medium-sized annual non-domestic user's electricity bill in 2020 (compared with a bill in the same year in the absence of these policies, but including other energy and climate change policies). These estimates do not account for the potential offsetting impact from higher levels of renewables reducing wholesale electricity prices, which we estimate could be of the order of £6/MWh on average in the years to 2020.
	The above estimates are based on a fossil fuel price scenario consistent with an $80/bbl oil price in 2020. In a world of higher fossil fuel prices ($150/barrel in 2020) the impact of renewables policies would be to increase domestic electricity bills by only £70 (13%) and add just £163,000 (12%) to the average electricity bill of medium-sized non-domestic users in 2020.

Wind Power: Coastal Areas

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of off-shore wind turbines which do not require direct anchoring to the sea bed.

Charles Hendry: Offshore wind turbines that do not require direct anchoring to the seabed, so-called "floating turbines", are a new and emerging renewable energy technology. We are aware of one in the world-in Norway-so cost estimates are highly uncertain.
	A recent study on behalf of the Offshore Valuation Group(1) indicates a levelised cost in the range of £120 to £201/MWh for floating offshore wind turbines in 2015. By 2045, it predicts that costs will reduce to £66 to £116/MWh. For fixed offshore wind, the same report indicates levelised costs of £91 to £168/MWh in 2015 and £50 to £90/MWh in 2045.
	(1) The Offshore Valuation: A valuation of the UK's offshore renewable energy resource. Public Interest Research Centre, 2010:
	http://www.offshorevaluation.org/downloads/offshore_vaulation_full.pdf

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Finance

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long on average section 4 payment cards have been used by asylum seekers prior to  (a) return to country of origin and  (b) grant of UK immigration status.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not hold this information centrally. The UK Border Agency would incur a disproportionate cost in collating this information.

Asylum: Finance

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance for transportation costs is available for people in receipt of Section 4 support.

Damian Green: Under the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Services of Services or Facilities) Regulations 2007 ("the 2007 Regulations") the Secretary of State may supply, or arrange for the supply of, facilities for travel for a qualifying journey to a supported person to (a) receive health care treatment, provided that the supported person has provided evidence that the qualifying journey is necessary; or (b) register a birth.
	This is usually provided in the form of public transport tickets issued by the supported person's accommodation provider on behalf of the UK Border Agency.

Asylum: Glasgow

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what future arrangements her Department plans to make for asylum seekers in Glasgow following the termination of the contract between the UK Border Agency and Glasgow city council for the provision of accommodation and other services to asylum seekers.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2010
	 We will transfer those affected to an alternative provider operating in Glasgow by 3 February 2011. The affected service users are currently accommodated, under a sub contract arrangement, with Glasgow Housing Association. The other accommodation provider to whom we are transferring service users also uses Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) as a provider of accommodation, so no physical move of service users may be necessary.

Asylum: Glasgow

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on the future dispersal of asylum seekers to Glasgow.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2010
	Asylum seekers will continue to be dispersed to the remaining two housing providers in Glasgow, that is Angel Group and YMCA Glasgow.

Counter-terrorism

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation her Department undertook with  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals on the rapid review of counter-terrorism powers.

Nick Herbert: As part of the review of counter-terrorism and security powers, we have consulted civil liberty and human rights organisations, the police, prosecutors, the security and intelligence agencies, community groups, local authorities, victims' groups, organisations representing the legal profession, individuals who undertake statutory functions in relation to counter-terrorism and security legislation, organisations with an interest in photography and academics with an interest in counter-terrorism legislation. Consultations on the review have been held in Belfast, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and London. A number of members of the public have contributed to the review through the dedicated e-mail address which was provided for contributions.
	A summary of the consultation process and the responses received will be published in due course.

Counter-terrorism

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations have submitted responses to the Government's rapid review of counter-terrorism powers.

Nick Herbert: The following organisations have submitted written contributions to the review of counter-terrorism and security powers:
	Amnesty International
	The Association of Chief Police Officers
	British Irish Rights Watch
	Campaign Against Criminalising Communities
	The Chamber of Shipping
	Cheshire West and Chester Council regulatory services
	The Crown Prosecution Service
	Demos
	Disaster Action
	Engage
	The Equality and Human Rights Commission
	Hertfordshire County Council
	Human Rights Watch
	Justice
	Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
	The Law Society
	Liberty
	Liverpool City Council
	The Local Government Group
	Metropolitan Police
	National Policing Improvement Agency
	National Union of Journalists
	North Yorkshire Council
	NUJ Parliamentary Group
	Plymouth City Council
	Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
	Royal Photographic Society
	SceneThat
	Scotland Against Criminalising Communities
	The security and intelligence agencies
	The Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group
	Surrey County Council
	Trading Standards Institute
	Trading Standards North West
	West Yorkshire Police Authority
	Wolverhampton City Council
	A range of other Government Departments have contributed to the review as have a number of individuals.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which local newspapers her Department had a subscription between June 2009 and May 2010; on what date each such subscription started; and what the cost to the public purse was of such subscriptions.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office subscribed to the  Evening Standard 2009 between June and October 2009 (after which it became a free sheet) at a total cost of £37.50. No further subscriptions were taken out for any other local newspaper for the period specified.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much and what proportion of her Department's capital expenditure was allocated to  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years.

Nick Herbert: The country and regional analysis is a yearly exercise in which departments participate. It allocates departmental spending to regions based on who benefits from that spending, not necessarily where the spending takes place.
	On that, basis the proportion of Home Office capital expenditure per specified region was as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   London  North West 
			 2005-06 14.2 8.2 
			 2006-07 14.2 9.0 
			 2007-08 13.5 8.1 
			 2008-09 12.1 7.2 
			 2009-10 11.0 6.9

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations sponsored by her Department have been revoked in the last six months.

Nick Herbert: The following regulations have been revoked in the last six months:
	The Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/228) were revoked by the Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2226) which were made on 7 September 2010.
	The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) Regulations 1986 (S.I. 1986/416) and the Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/611) were revoked by the Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2497) which were made on 12 October 2010.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new regulations sponsored by her Department have been introduced through  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Nick Herbert: No new regulations have been introduced by primary legislation in the last six months.
	The following regulations have been introduced by statutory instrument in the last six months:
	The Firearms (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1759) which were made on 6 July 2010
	The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment No.2) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1799) which were made on 13 July 2010
	The Immigration and Nationality (Cost Recovery Fees) (No.2) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2226) which were made on 7 September 2010
	The Police Pensions (Additional Voluntary Contributions) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2235) which were made on 7 September 2010
	The Police Authority (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2412) which were made on 30 September 2010
	The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2497) which were made on 12 October 2010
	The Controlled Drugs (Drug Precursors) (Intra-Community Trade and Community External Trade) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2564) which were made on 19 October 2010
	The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Guernsey) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2700) which were made on 8 November 2010
	The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Jersey) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S. 1.2010/2701) which were made on 8 November 2010
	The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2702) which were made on 8 November 2010.

Domestic Violence

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations her Department has received on the piloting of domestic violence protection orders.

Theresa May: holding answer 17 November 2010
	We have had representations from members of the Opposition, members of the public, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the National Society for the Prevention against Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). I will set out future policy in this area in due course.

International Organization for Migration: Finance

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department allocated to the International Organization for Migration in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Damian Green: The funding allocated by the Department to the International Organization for Migration in the financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 16,937,792 
			 2008-09 12,298,039 
			 2009-10 13,237,565 
			  Note: These figures are of payments actually made during the financial years in question. 
		
	
	This is internal management information and is subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Internet

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department is making on ending the storage of internet and email records without good reason.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 October 2010
	The Government will legislate to ensure that the ability of the security intelligence and law enforcement agencies to obtain communications data is proportionate to the natural security and law enforcement needs of the country and is accompanied by appropriate civil liberties safeguards.

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether she  (a) has made and  (b) plans to make any changes to the London 2012 Olympics security budget as a result of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  what funding her Department has allocated for security for the London 2012 Olympics in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

Theresa May: holding answer 11 November 2010
	Detailed spending plans for the security of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are being considered in the light of the comprehensive spending review settlement and the Government's recent audit and review of Olympics security planning. We intend to make a further announcement next month. Funding for the Olympics security will be prioritised within the Home Office budget and we will ensure sufficient funding is in place to deliver a safe and secure Olympic Games in 2012.

Police: Accountability

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of elections for directly-elected police commissioners.

Nick Herbert: The Government's Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill will be accompanied with a legislative impact assessment which will set out the costed estimate for the election of police and crime commissioners.
	Provision for the costs of electing commissioners was included in the police settlement announced on 20 October. This funding was specifically provided in order to prevent costs falling on force budgets.

Police: Accountability

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the election of a police commissioner for the Devon and Cornwall police force area.

Nick Herbert: The Government's Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill will be accompanied with a legislative impact assessment which will set out the overall cost estimates for police and crime commissioners.
	Provision for the costs of electing commissioners was included in the police settlement announced on 20 October. This funding was specifically provided in order to prevent costs falling on force budgets.

Police: Accountability

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what voting system will be used in elections for police and crime commissioners.

Theresa May: holding answer 12 November 2010
	Our consultation document, "Policing in the 21st Century", published on 26 July 2010, set out the Government belief that a preferential voting system is the right option. The consultation exercise on these proposals closed on 20 September and a detailed response will be published shortly.

Police: Accountability

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which heading in her departmental budget funds will be provided for the costs of establishing police and crime commissioners.

Theresa May: holding answer 12 November 2010
	Provision for the costs of electing police and crime commissioners was specifically included in the police settlement announced on 20 October.

Police: Retirement

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers  (a) retired,  (b) resigned and  (c) took voluntary redundancy in each of the last three years.

Theresa May: holding answer 15 November 2010
	The following table provides the available data which show the number of police officers retired and resigned as at 31 March 2008 to 2010, by police force area.
	Retirement figures include those that have early medical retirement, medical retirement after 30 years of service and normal retirement.
	Resignation figures include voluntary redundancies.
	
		
			  Number of police officers who have retired and resigned between 2007-08 and 2009-10, by police force area( 1,2,)( )( 3) 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			   Retired  Resigned  Retired  Resigned  Retired  Resigned 
			 Avon and Somerset 110 48 95 28 93 26 
			 Bedfordshire 31 31 29 25 29 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 36 12 36 25 36 27 
			 Cheshire 80 17 66 17 75 23 
			 Cleveland 62 23 54 19 55 13 
			 Cumbria 48 11 44 21 39 22 
			 Derbyshire 63 39 57 34 73 25 
			 Devon and Cornwall 77 38 134 37 70 20 
			 Dorset 58 26 48 14 76 11 
			 Durham 73 19 62 16 63 8 
			 Dyfed-Powys 41 12 38 9 40 14 
			 Essex 77 73 96 53 110 43 
			 Gloucestershire 41 18 40 12 30 11 
			 Greater Manchester 230 136 210 97 219 68 
			 Gwent 47 24 53 22 33 8 
			 Hampshire 133 46 140 45 134 59 
			 Hertfordshire 39 50 33 34 47 38 
			 Humberside 60 40 82 36 73 14 
			 Kent 113 57 77 57 85 55 
			 Lancashire 109 34 97 24 110 29 
			 Leicestershire 58 53 55 35 53 28 
			 Lincolnshire 61 16 51 15 68 20 
			 London, City of 20 16 35 5 24 9 
			 Merseyside 141 41 177 47 182 34 
			 Metropolitan Police 735 360 793 383 758 273 
			 Norfolk 52 16 63 31 54 17 
			 Northamptonshire 31 25 31 19 31 12 
			 Northumbria 143 46 134 48 114 31 
			 North Wales 67 16 46 14 56 7 
			 North Yorkshire 38 31 51 28 50 20 
			 Nottinghamshire 60 23 79 25 64 23 
			 South Wales 71 80 100 88 108 32 
			 South Yorkshire 104 40 110 30 117 15 
			 Staffordshire 63 24 71 22 73 6 
			 Suffolk 24 23 37 32 44 32 
			 Surrey 58 47 58 52 47 33 
			 Sussex 84 76 87 60 70 79 
			 Thames Valley 122 78 91 51 133 58 
			 Warwickshire 24 20 26 9 46 8 
			 West Mercia 77 32 96 28 102 23 
			 West Midlands 221 91 255 109 276 95 
			 West Yorkshire 184 84 209 73 207 60 
			 Wiltshire 29 28 39 29 24 16 
			 Total 3,996 2,020 4,184 1,854 4,187 1,461 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. (2) Retirement figures include those that have early medical retirement, medical retirement after 30 years of service and normal retirement. (3) Resignation figures include voluntary redundancies.

Terrorism

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects her Department's review of counter-terrorism legislation to consult Lord Carlile of Berriew.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 12 November 2010
	 Home Office officials will continue to consult Lord Carlile of Berriew QC on the review of counter-terrorism and security powers. As set out in the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 13 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 797-809, the review is being conducted by the Home Office and proposals made by Lord Carlile QC will be fully considered as part of the review.

UK Border Agency: Glasgow

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the chief executive of the UK Border Agency on the termination of the contract between the UK Border Agency and Glasgow city council for the provision of accommodation and other services to asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2010
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not discussed the termination of the contract between the UK Border Agency and Glasgow city council with the chief executive of the UK Border Agency. She does not intend to make a statement on this matter.

UK Border Agency: Glasgow

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether compensation will be payable by the UK Border Agency to Glasgow city council following the termination of the contract between these bodies for the provision of accommodation and other services to asylum seekers.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2010
	 The UK Border Agency will be liable for early termination costs which have not yet been determined. These costs will be significantly lower than the financial savings that will be realised by moving service users to alternative providers already operating in Glasgow.

Visas

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date she plans to implement her proposal for entrepreneur visas; on what criteria applications for such visas will be assessed; how many such visas she expects to be granted in the first 12 months of the operation of that visa programme; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 12 November 2010
	 We will announce full details of our proposals for the entrepreneur category in due course.

JUSTICE

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which local newspapers his Department had a subscription between June 2007 and May 2010; on what date each such subscription started; and what the cost to the public purse was of such subscriptions.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) subscribes to many different periodicals and professional magazines (hard copy and online via individual purchase and subscription) for both staff and the judiciary.
	It would incur disproportionate costs to examine each transaction under the relevant accounting codes and research whether it is a subscription or one off purchase, as well as to whether the publication in question is a local newspaper.
	Accounting systems for the MoJ, HMCS, Tribunals Service and OPG do not differentiate between local papers, national papers or magazines and periodicals. The same account codes also include some books. The natural account codes for the National Offender Management Service do not differentiate between purchased publications and publications created for their organisation.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months;
	(2)  what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through (a) primary legislation and (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Jonathan Djanogly: In the last six months, the Ministry of Justice has made one revocation instrument-the Local Land Charges (Amendment) Rules 2010 which revoked the fee paid for a personal search of the local land charges register and came into effect on 17 August 2010.
	The Ministry of Justice has not introduced any primary legislation during the last six months. However, it has made 22 statutory instruments in the last six months including the following which have regulatory impact:
	The Legal Services Act 2007 (Commencement No.8 Transitory and Transitional Provisions) Order 2010.
	The Legal Services Act 2007 (Legal Complaints) (Parties) Order 2010.

Fines: Insurance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many fines were imposed for vehicle insurance offences in  (a) Cambridgeshire constabulary and  (b) North East Cambridgeshire constituency in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what estimate he made of the average monetary value of a fine imposed for a vehicle insurance offence in  (a) Cambridgeshire constabulary and  (b) North East Cambridgeshire constituency in the last 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: In 2009 (latest available), there were 1,866 findings of guilt for vehicle insurance offences at all courts within Cambridgeshire police force area. Of these findings of guilt, 1,260 fines were imposed and the average fine imposed was £227.
	Information is not available at constituency level; therefore it is not possible to supply data for the North East Cambridgeshire constituency.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in 2011.
	Vehicle insurance offences can also attract a fixed penalty notice. Figures provided by the Home Office on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for vehicle insurance offences in Cambridgeshire in 2008-09 (latest available) is 321. Data held by the Home Office cannot separately identify tickets issued in North East Cambridgeshire.
	Fixed penalty notices issued for this offence are of the value of £200.
	Motoring offences data for 2010 are planned for publication by the Home Office in April 2011.

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the effects on the budget of the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit of the proposed reduction in funding from the Legal Services Commission.

Jonathan Djanogly: Decisions made under the tender process for the award of legal aid contracts are a matter for the Legal Services Commission (LSC), which is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme.
	In accordance with the Public Contract Regulations, when existing legal aid contracts were due to end in 2010, the LSC was required to run an open tender process for legal aid work. This meant using criteria that enabled both existing and new entrants to bid for their allocation of cases known as "New Matter Starts" (NMS). In all areas where the volume of NMS tendered for was greater than those available, as in the North West Area Greater Manchester Access Point, selection criteria were applied, and NMS were awarded according to the ranking of the bid.
	In the financial year 2009-10 Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit started 381 Asylum and 143 Immigration NMS.
	In the tender, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit scored the same points as several other organisations, therefore NMS were allocated to them on a pro-rata basis. They were awarded 162 Asylum and 33 Immigration NMS when the new contracts commenced on 15 November.
	As the LSC does not have detailed knowledge of Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit's accounts and other sources of funding they receive, it is not in a position to comment on their budget.

Information Commissioner's Office: Legal Action

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what material legal actions the Information Commissioner's Office has initiated against people or companies alleged to have broken UK law in each of the last 10 years; and how many such actions resulted in a conviction in each such year.

Jonathan Djanogly: Details of legal actions initiated by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) are set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Data Protection Act 1998 
			   Prosecutions  Convictions  Undertakings  Enforcement notices 
			 2000-01 21 21 n/a 4 
			 2001-02 15 (1)33 n/a 4 
			 2002-03 11 80 n/a 4 
			 2003-04 8 8 n/a No information available 
			 2004-05 12 12 2 No information available 
			 2005-06 16 16 11 No information available 
			 2006-07 13 13 13 6 
			 2007-08 11 (2)10 9 9 
			 2008-09 (3)19 14 14 6 
			 2009-10 9 9 57 15 
		
	
	ICO prosecutions under the Data Protection Act have sometimes been for multiple offences.
	
		
			  Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 200 3( 4) 
			   Enforcement notices  Convictions( 5)  Enforcement orders  Undertakings 
			 2000-01 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003-04 0 0 n/a 0 
			 2004-05 0 0 n/a 0 
			 2005-06 2 0 n/a 0 
			 2006-07 5 0 0 2 
			 2007-08 5 1 0 (6)8 
			 2008-09 3 0 0 0 
			 2009-10 4 1 (7)l 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Freedom of Information Act 2000( 8) 
			   Practice recommendations( 9)  Enforcements( 10) 
			 2000-01 n/a n/a 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 n/a n/a 
			 2003-04 n/a n/a 
			 2004-05 n/a n/a 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 1 1 
			 2007-08 4 0 
			 2008-09 3 0 
			 2009-10 3 0 
			 (1) In 2001-02 there were 16 withdrawals, nine offences lay on file, and there were eight acquittals. (2) There was one desertion in 2007-08. (3) In 2008-09 there were five withdrawals. (4) The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations came into force in December 2003. (5) Convictions for breach of Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations enforcement notices. (6) This includes three undertakings secured under part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002. (7) The ICO assisted West Sussex Trading Standards in their successful application for an enforcement order obtained under the Enterprise Act 2002 for breaches of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. (8) The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force in 2005, and the Commissioner's Office received its first Freedom of Information complaints at the end of the 2004-05 financial year. (9) A practice recommendation can be issued by the Information Commissioner where a public authority does not conform to the codes of practice associated with the Act. (10) An enforcement notice under the Freedom of Information Act is a legal order the Information Commissioner can make to require a public authority to address its failure to comply with part 1 of the Freedom of Information Act. In practice, this is most likely to be used where there is systemic or repeated non-compliance.  Source: This information has been provided by the ICO.

Office of the Information Commissioner: Personnel

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of the Office of the Information Commissioner are employed solely to process complaints made to that office.

Jonathan Djanogly: 150 staff at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) deal solely with complaints, and a further 83 staff deal with complaints in addition to other duties in enforcement or audit work, or answering inquiries.
	This information has been provided by the ICO.

Prisons: Education

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have received  (a) degrees and  (b) higher education qualifications in each year since 2007.

Crispin Blunt: NOMS does not centrally hold data on the number of prisoners attaining degrees or higher education qualifications. Most Higher Education (HE) courses are provided by the Open University (OU) who have provided data, but there are likely to be some additional prisoners studying HE qualifications via distance learning with other providers.
	The following table includes data provided by the OU and shows the number of prisoner attainments between 2006 and 2010(1).
	(1) Data excludes students who received degree or HE qualifications following release from custody after starting their course in prison.
	
		
			  Academic year  Diploma  Certificates  Post Grad. cert/diploma  BA/BSc  MA/ MSc  Total 
			 2006/07 25 98 12 17 2 154 
			 2007/08 21 139 - 23 3 186 
			 2008/09 35 115 1 30 1 182 
			 2009/10 25 77 2 21 3 128

Prisons: Opinion Polls

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to allow political opinion polling to take place in prisons.

Crispin Blunt: There are no plans for political opinion polling to take place in prisons.

Young Offender Institutions: Population

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) population and  (b) capacity is of young offenders institutions in (i) England and Wales and (ii) the South East.

Crispin Blunt: Provisional custody population figures and capacity for young offenders (including 18-year-olds) in young offenders institutions (YOIs) are shown in the following table for September 2010.
	
		
			  September 2010  Beds occupied  Beds commissioned 
			  England and Wales   
			 YOI (inc. 18) 1,892 2,297 
			
			  South East   
			 YOI (inc. 18) 147 159 
			  Notes: 1. These figures are provisional until they are finalised in the Youth Justice Board (YJB) Annual Workload Statistics 2009-10. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. 3. The figures given for the South East of England relate to available capacity and population at HMYOIs Cookham Wood and Downview's Josephine Butler Unit-these being the primary locations for young people given custody within this region.

Youth Justice: Greater London

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department has allocated for youth crime provision in London in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what estimate he made of the amount of such funding allocated in respect of young people aged  (a) 12 years and under,  (b) between 13 and 17 years and  (c) between 18 and 24 years in 2009-10.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice has provided the following amounts to youth offending teams in London over the last five years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 23,572,365 
			 2007-08 21,311,756 
			 2006-07 19,983,897 
			 2005-06 17,118,846 
			 2004-05 14,547,630 
		
	
	These figures are inclusive of the funding provided by the Home Office and Department for Education, the exact amounts could not be separated due to disproportionate costs.
	The funding provided to youth offending teams in London in 2009-10 is £24,428,567. It is not known what proportion of this is allocated to different age groups.
	The Ministry of Justice provided £4.65 million in funding to the Department for Education in 2009-10 for the implementation of the non-family element of the Youth Crime Action Plan, a portion of this funding would have been spent in the London area.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Browne Review

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what international comparisons he made of university fees and student loans systems and their effect on disadvantaged groups in formulating his response to the recommendations of the Browne review.

David Willetts: The Department recently commissioned a study of 17 comparator countries and published a subsequent research report entitled "Review of Student Support Arrangements in Other Countries".
	This showed that studies of the impact of student loans on participation generally indicate no adverse impact on participation of lower-income groups when an increase in tuition fees occurs alongside enhanced loan and grant provision.

Competition Policy

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of his Department's competition policy.

Edward Davey: The Government have announced they will consult on proposals to strengthen the competition regime and deliver more streamlined and consistent processes for businesses by bringing together the Competition Commission and the competition functions of the Office of Fair Trading to form a single competition and markets authority.
	The aim is to enhance further an already world-class regime to the benefit of consumers, and to growth and productivity of the economy. We expect to issue the consultation document in the new year.

Broadband: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had with Members of the National Assembly for Wales other than Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on a proposed pilot in Wales for high speed broadband services.

Edward Vaizey: BIS Ministers did not have any meetings with members of the National Assembly for Wales about the superfast broadband pilots prior to their selection but officials had regular dialogue with all the devolved Administrations and regional development agencies prior to the selection of the superfast broadband pilots. My officials continue to work with the Welsh Assembly Government on ways in which we can together help deliver broadband rollout.

Business

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on  (a) industrial sector,  (b) mean growth rate,  (c) size and  (d) formal links to scientific institutions of high growth businesses in other countries.

Mark Prisk: BIS does not hold its own information on high growth firms in other countries but makes use of material published by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), the European Commission, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) among other organisations, though this is not used primarily for benchmarking purposes.
	The proportion of innovating businesses who collaborate, including with the science base, is available for some countries from the regular Innovation Surveys carried out in Europe and around the world. But these do not identify high growth businesses-a group that is likely to change over time.
	Details on the group of businesses identified as being high growth in the UK is included in the research report published by NESTA entitled "Measuring Business Growth", available at
	http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/reports/assets/features/measuring_business_growth
	This includes comparisons with selected countries on the share of enterprises defined as high growth, although detailed comparisons by size, sector and growth rate are not available.
	The OECD is about to publish the third annual publication of "Measuring Entrepreneurship: a digest of indicators" which includes data produced using its definition for high growth businesses from 15 OECD countries. The UK (Office for National Statistics) is yet to supply these data to the OECD, but once the report is available, it will enable the UK to benchmark with other countries.

Business: Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to increase access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Prisk: The coalition Government are committed to ensuring that viable SMEs have access to the finance they need to support growth.
	On 1 November we published our response to the consultation on business finance issues, "Financing a private sector recovery" which is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/businessfinance
	We have also published our strategy "Backing small business", setting out new measures to help SMEs grow and to boost enterprise, available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/backing-small-business
	There are various measures in place to support access to finance for businesses. The Government aim to continue to support and improve the diversity of sources and access to finance for SMEs and businesses through:
	A four year extension to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) making around £2 billion available to viable SMEs without a credit history or lacking sufficient collateral.
	An increased commitment to the Enterprise Capital Fund programme of £200 million to support small businesses with the highest growth potential, providing more than £300 million of venture capital investment into the equity gap after both Government and private sector funding are combined.
	Welcoming the banks' announcement of a new £1.5 billion Business Growth Fund, to provide equity funding of between £2 million and £10 million for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with strong growth potential.
	The Government will also work with the British Bankers' Association's Business Finance Taskforce and the banks on a range of commitments set out in their response to the Green Paper and which will assist SMEs with access to finance issues, including their commitments on improving the way they deal with complaints from SME customers.
	Finally, the Government continue to monitor performance against the legally binding lending commitments agreed with The Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Lloyds Banking Group. These will deliver £50 billion and £44 billion of business lending this year respectively, providing businesses with capital for investment and growth.

Hairdressing: Licensing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to prevent private companies claiming to be licensing authorities in the hairdressing sector in the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take steps against private companies which operate bogus licensing arrangements in the hairdressing sector;
	(3)  what his policy is on private companies issuing licences to trade without government backing in competition with existing regulatory bodies created by Act of Parliament.

Edward Davey: A person does not need a licence to operate as a hairdresser. However, to run a hairdressing business it may be necessary to register with the environmental heath department of the local authority if they have adopted local byelaws under the Public Health Act 1961.
	It is an offence under existing legislation for private companies to mislead hairdressers that they require a licence to operate, or to falsely claim to be licensing authorities in the hairdressing sector. The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 prohibits misleading business-to-business advertising and marketing statements.
	The regulations are enforced by local authority Trading Standards Services and the Office of Fair Trading.

Israel

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on British-Israeli scientific co-operation; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 November 2010
	Through UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Science and Innovation Network (SIN), the British Government actively encourages British-Israeli Scientific Co-operation. It is a key area of bilateral co-operation between Israel and the UK.
	During his recent visit to Israel, the Foreign Secretary was pleased to announce that 10 new joint British-Israeli research projects were to be funded through the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX). The projects will develop innovative approaches to challenges in the Energy Sector and the Environment.

Israel

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) level of co-operation between British and Israeli industry and  (b) effects of that co-operation on the British manufacturing and high technology sector.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 November 2010
	No assessment has been made on this particular issue. However the British Government thoroughly support the development of collaborative links between British and Israeli industry.

Israel

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of Israeli-UK trade relations within the science and technology sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Collaboration between the UK and Israel in the area of science and technology is a priority for UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) who work closely with the active science and innovation team in the British embassy in Tel Aviv and their principals in the UK.
	During his recent visit to Israel, the Foreign Secretary was pleased to announce that 10 new Israeli-British research partnerships are to be funded through the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX). In addition, he announced the establishment of a new high level UK-Israel Life Sciences Council.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects on areas with high levels of public sector employment of not being within the geographical scope of a local enterprise partnership; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Decisions have yet to be taken on where departmental cuts will be made and therefore the geographical impacts on public sector employment are not known. In addition, the local enterprise partnership map is not set in aspic. Discussions are still ongoing with prospective partnerships and we anticipate more to be invited to form their boards in the future.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential involvement of community or voluntary sector organisations in the operation of local enterprise partnerships.

Mark Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships are locally developed organisations formed between local authorities and businesses. These partnerships have been encouraged to work closely with key economic stakeholders including social and community enterprises.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: North East

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the North East region is currently covered by a Local Enterprise Partnership.

Mark Prisk: We anticipate full coverage in the north-east. The Tees Valley partnership has already been invited to develop their board and the other partnerships in the north-east who put forward outline proposals have agreed to work together to form a single partnership; we are currently waiting for this new proposal to be submitted.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: North Yorkshire

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on the selection of a local enterprise partnership for North Yorkshire.

Mark Prisk: The Government set out their expectations for local enterprise partnerships in the Local Growth White Paper. All partnerships that submitted initial outline proposals which did not meet our expectations were invited to reconsider them in light of these expectations and then resubmit, working with other partners as appropriate.

New Businesses: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what schemes his Department  (a) operates and  (b) plans to operate to provide assistance to women to set up their own businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: A number of measures are being undertaken with the purpose of stimulating growth which are particularly targeting support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These will assist women with setting up in business or help with improving the businesses already set up by women.
	As the regional development agencies are decommissioned, I will introduce a new and flexible delivery system which will include a national website, a national contact centre and access to mentors which should help SMEs to grow. I also intend to establish a network of growth hubs in England to support businesses with high growth potential.
	The Government will provide highly focused support to SMEs through a renewed and streamlined portfolio of business improvement products through Solutions for Business to be launched by this Department by April 2011.
	We are establishing Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as set out in the White Paper on Local Growth. This will involve local business and civic leaders working together to drive economic growth and create new jobs in their communities.

Overseas Trade: Asia

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanisms UK Trade and Investment is encouraging British businesses to trade in emerging economies in Asia.

Mark Prisk: Encouraging British business to trade with the emerging economies in Asia is a priority for the Government led by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, as seen through his visits to India and China. UK Trade and Investment has teams in all the major Asia economies which are tasked with drawing business opportunities to the attention of UK businesses and then helping them succeed internationally. UK Trade and Investment has a full programme of sectorally focused activity linked to Asian markets which, at its core, puts UK business in a position to trade successfully. Finally, the Asia Task Force, co-chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the noble Lord Powell of Bayswater, has been running since 2009 a programme of outreach activity which, by the end of this year, will have encouraged more than 2000 businesses in the UK to look at business opportunities in Asia.

Post Office: Royal Mail

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of an inter-business arrangement between Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail following implementation of provisions of the Postal Services Bill.

Edward Davey: The Government are clear that Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail will remain closely entwined in operational terms and will continue to rely on one another after the separation of the businesses provided for in the Postal Services Bill. While the commercial terms of such a relationship will be a matter for Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail to agree, the Government believe that it is in the best interests of both companies for there to be a long-term commercial contract in place between them going forward.

Post Offices

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether criteria have been agreed between his Department and Post Office Ltd to determine the appropriateness of the Post Office local model for sub-post offices; and whether the model will apply to sub-post offices with no additional retail business.

Edward Davey: The Post Office Ltd is currently conducting pilot trials of the Post Office local model in some 50 locations, with analysis of the trials shared regularly with officials in this Department. The trials will enable any necessary fine tuning of the model to be made in the light of practical, operational experience. The Post Office local model is structured to work alongside a complementary retail activity and will not apply in circumstances where there is no additional retail business.

Postal Services: Local Government

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) guidance and  (b) support his Department provides to local authorities (i) to support greater involvement by those authorities in the planning and delivery of Post Office provision and (ii) on outsourcing of council services and functions to the Post Office network.

Edward Davey: The Government are keen to explore the scope for greater local authority involvement in the planning and delivery of local post office provision and for better local authority use of post offices as a delivery channel for council services. Post Office Ltd and Sheffield city council have agreed on a pilot partnership which will also include sub-postmasters and local people to develop a sustainable local network.

Postal Services: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on the effects in Northern Ireland of the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Edward Davey: The Government are committed to maintaining the universal postal service in all parts of the UK. To achieve this, Royal Mail's future has to be secured on a sustainable basis and we believe that the best way to do this is through an injection of private sector capital and disciplines and for the company to operate within a robust regulatory framework, which has the continuation of the universal postal service at its heart.
	Postal services are a reserved matter but this Department fully briefed the devolved Administrations on the content of the Bill before it was published. We also discussed specific drafting points relating to provisions the Bill.

Postal Services: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects in Northern Ireland of the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Edward Davey: The Government are committed to maintaining the universal postal service in all parts of the UK. To achieve this, Royal Mail's future has to be secured on a sustainable basis and we believe that the best way to do this is through an injection of private sector capital and disciplines and for the company to operate within a robust regulatory framework, which has the continuation of the universal postal service at its heart.

Supermarkets: Competition

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for a supermarket ombudsman.

Edward Davey: The coalition agreement commits the Government to introduce the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). A consultation on the GCA took place between 5 February and 30 April 2010. The Government response of 3 August set out how we would take this body forward.
	We now have approval to publish a draft Bill in the first session of this Parliament however it is too early to know whether the Bill could be introduced this session or the next. We will work closely with business managers to reach an agreement.

UK Trade and Investment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanisms UK Trade and Investment works with FTSE 100 companies; and how many staff of his Department are employed to undertake such work.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment currently has approximately 40 dedicated relationship managers assigned to work with FTSE 100 companies. In addition, UK Trade and Investment staff maintain regular contact with FTSE 100 companies in the course of day to day work both in the UK and overseas.

Yorkshire Forward: Redundancy Pay

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much  (a) has been spent on and  (b) is planned to be spent on redundancy payments for employees of Yorkshire Forward.

Mark Prisk: In the 12 months ending October 2010, Yorkshire Forward spent £2,953,793 on redundancy payments to employees. It is not yet possible to estimate future redundancy costs firmly because decisions on staff transfers to successor bodies have still to be settled and other factors will apply including the level of staff departures occurring through other reasons such as resignation. The impact of the Superannuation Bill and the timing of the implementation of the interim measures and the new negotiated terms will also have an affect on the cost of redundancies at Yorkshire Forward.

PRIME MINISTER

China: Human Rights

David Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he made to his Chinese counterpart on the issue of human rights in China at their most recent meeting; what response he received; and what further representations he plans to make.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the speech I gave at Beida University in Beijing on Wednesday 10 November 2010. A transcript of this is available on the Number 10 website and can be found at
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2010/11/pms-speech-at-beida-university-china-56820
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 650.

Economic Policy: EU Action

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Prime Minister whether the European Court of Justice would adjudicate in circumstances in which the extent to which the EU was able to legislate in respect of budgets and macro-economic surveillance of member states under the proposals in the Report of the Task Force to the European Council on Strengthening Economic Governance in the EU is disputed.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK's Protocol to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union contains certain provisions that preclude the application to the UK of sanctions under Article 126(11) of the Treaty. This exemption from sanctions is explicitly recognised in paragraph 18.ii of the final report of the President of the European Council's Taskforce (a copy of this document has been deposited in the Library of the House).
	The European Commission has now published legislative proposals which would create additional sanctions to encourage compliance by member states with both the EU's Stability and Growth Pact and its Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. However, these relate only to euro area member states and thus would not apply to the UK.
	The "EU Semester" would require member states to submit their draft budgetary plans to the EU each spring. The Chancellor secured an exemption from this in the EU Stability and Growth Pact Code of Conduct, which explicitly states that the UK will send its final Budget to the EU after it has been presented to Parliament.
	The EU has conducted fiscal and macroeconomic surveillance of its member states for many years under the Stability and Growth Pact and the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. Many of the Commission and Taskforce proposals formalise this monitoring and are based on existing provisions of the Treaty under Articles 121 and 126.3-126.8. These articles apply to all member states and any proposals made under these Articles, if adopted, would apply to the UK.
	The Commission's proposals will be considered by the Council and by the European Parliament in due course. They have been submitted to both Houses of Parliament for scrutiny in the usual way.
	Once legislation has been adopted it is open to any one of the EU institutions or to a member state to bring the matter before the European Court of Justice in accordance with Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the merits of regulating the price of alcohol for the purpose of reducing alcohol consumption; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Government are currently reviewing alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure they tackle binge drinking without unfairly penalising responsible drinkers, pubs and important local industries. We also intend to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.
	Although the price of alcohol is important, it is not the only factor that affects demand for alcohol. Solutions to address alcohol-related problems will need also to be found locally, and by seeking to change individuals' relationship and behaviours with alcohol.

Carers: Voluntary Organisations

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential annual saving to the public purse of the provision of support for carers by voluntary organisations.

Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made of the potential annual saving to the public purse of the provision of support for carers by voluntary organisations.

Dementia

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts published implementation plans for the National Dementia Strategy for England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The Department does not collect data on how many primary care trusts have published implementation plans for the National Dementia Strategy for England. We are in the process of establishing the provision of dementia services across the country via a national audit. The first results from this are expected at the end of the year.
	The Department has made clear that national health service (NHS) organisations should be working with partners to implement the National Dementia Strategy. Localities are asked to provide information that helps those with dementia and their families understand their local services, and the level of quality and outcomes that they can expect. The NHS and their partners should publish how they are implementing the National Dementia Strategy to increase local accountability for prioritisation. This is to support a move away from central command to local determination and as such primary care trusts will not be subject to requirements on how or what they publish, neither will there be any national performance requirements put to them.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to which local newspapers his Department had a subscription between June 2007 and May 2010; on what date each such subscription started; and what the cost to the public purse was of such subscriptions.

Anne Milton: The following table shows the cost of local newspapers purchased for the Department on a regular basis during the period June 2007 to May 2010:
	
		
			  Title  Cost (£) 
			  Yorkshire Post 583 
			  Yorkshire Evening Post 56 
			  Evening Standard 8,866 
			  Birmingham Post 91 
			  Manchester Evening News 423 
			  Western Morning News 348 
			 Total 10,367 
			  Notes: l. Subscription commencement dates are not available as the Department purchases newspapers on a month by month basis to allow for any weekly demands or changes. 2. This covers titles purchased by the Library only. Information is not held centrally on items purchased by individual business units.

Departmental Reviews

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since his appointment; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Paul Burstow: Details of all Department of Health policy reviews since May 2010 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Subject  Date review announced  Anticipated date of report/date of report  Appointed reviewer  Number of civil servants working on the review (full-time equivalents) 
			 Review of arm's length bodies 20 May 2010 26 July 2010 Led internally by Department of Health 9-10 
			 Review of the cancer reform strategy 7 July 2010 Winter 2010 Professor Sir Mike Richards, National Clinical Director of cancer and end of life care 1 
			 An independent palliative care funding review 9 July 2010 Summer 2011 Tom Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care 1 
			 Review of data returns 12 July 2010 Early 2011 National Quality Board 1.5 
			 The review of the funding system for care and support in England 20 July 2010 July 2011 Andrew Dilnot, Chair, Commission on the Funding of Care and Support 10 
			 Review of the NHS Litigation Authority 26 July 2010 Spring 2011 Led internally by Department of Health 1 
			 Commercial review of NHS Blood and Transplant 26 July 2010 Spring 2011 Led internally by Department of Health 0.3 
			 Commercial review of the NHS Business Services Authority 26 July 2010 Spring 2011 Led internally by Department of Health 1 
			 Review of the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator 9 August 2010 Late November 2010 Led internally by Department of Health 1.5 
			 Review of consultant pay rewards scheme 20 August 2010 July 2011 Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration 0.2 
			 Review of early warning systems in the NHS (reopening of previous National Quality Board review) 10 September 2010 Phase1: January/February 2011; Phase 2: mid 2011 National Quality Board 0.5 
			  Notes: 1. Information on the estimated cost of each review has not been calculated because this work is carried out as part of the normal business of the Department of Health and other organisations. 2. Individuals recruited externally to chair reviews have been appointed in an advisory capacity and are not salaried staff. 3. None of the external chairs have received remuneration. 4. Professor Sir Alan Craft is advisor to the Palliative Care Funding Review and will receive up to £60,000 for this work. 5. Where reviews were led by Department of Health staff, they were recruited from within the Department and were not entitled to further payments for their work in addition to their normal salary. 6. No staff have been seconded to the Department of Health to work specifically on the reviews.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatment services are available on the NHS for people with a dependency on  (a) heroin,  (b) crack cocaine and  (c) cocaine powder; and what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each such treatment.

Anne Milton: The national health service provides a range of services in various settings to treat drug dependence, tailored to the individual, their drug(s) of dependence, and their personal circumstances.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of a range of drug treatment interventions, and published guidance which includes: methadone and buprenorphine for managing opioid dependence, naltrexone for the management of opioid dependence, opioid detoxification, and drug misuse psychosocial interventions.
	Further guidance on the range of treatments available is set out in "Drug misuse and dependence, UK guidelines on clinical management" published by the United Kingdom health departments in 2007. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	In addition, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) published "Models of Care for Treatment of Adult Drug Misusers", a framework for the commissioning and provision of drug treatment services in England, last updated in 2006. Once the Government's Drug Strategy has been published, the NTA will consult on the development of a new recovery-oriented framework with the aim of promoting an ambition for recovery that meets the needs of all addicts and their families, both those currently in treatment and those yet to be engaged.

Myasthenia Gravis Association

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to assist the work of the Myasthenia Gravis Association.

Paul Burstow: The National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-Term Conditions was developed to address variations in access and the quality of care for people with long-term neurological and neuromuscular conditions, including myasthenia gravis.
	While it is the responsibility of local health commissioners to ensure that they commission local services to meet the needs of their populations, commissioning decisions that reflect the vision of the NSF will ensure that services meet the needs of people with myasthenia gravis.
	In future, outcomes, which the national health service will be expected to achieve, will be set through the NHS Outcomes Framework. The NHS Commissioning Board will hold general practitioner commissioning consortia to account for delivery through the framework.
	Under our proposed health reforms, voluntary sector organisations such as the Myasthenia Gravis Association will have valuable expertise and experience to contribute to improve local services. Voluntary organisations could potentially strengthen the process of public and patient engagement and support commissioners in developing needs assessments and commissioning guidelines.

NHS

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the statutory duties are of  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities.

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 580-81W.

NHS: Finance

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department plans to provide to GPs who are seeking to redevelop their practice buildings following the abolition of primary care trusts; and whether GP practices which fund redevelopment of practice buildings by a bank loan will continue to be able to rent.

Paul Burstow: The arrangements for reimbursing premises costs for providers of general medical services are set out in The National Health Service (General Medical Services-Premises Costs) (England) Directions 2004. This document has already been placed in the Library. The proposal for an independent NHS Commissioning Board to have future responsibility for commissioning general medical services would not alter these arrangements.

NHS: Public Participation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2010,  Official Report, column 400W, on NHS: public participation, whether funding will be made available to ensure that LINk activities can continue between the end of March 2011 and the establishment of HealthWatch in April 2012.

Paul Burstow: Following the spending review, details of the overall local government settlement were set out in the letter from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 20 October 2010, a copy of which is available on their website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1745945.pdf
	This letter set out the profile of grants that are rolling into the local government formula grant from 2011-12. This includes the Department of Health's ongoing personal social services grants, including funding for local involvement networks.

Pathogens: Climate Change

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an assessment of the potential effects on human health of new and emerging pathogens related to climate change.

Anne Milton: The Department and the Health Protection Agency jointly published its assessment of the possible impacts of climate change on health in the report 'Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK 2008'. This included an assessment of potential effects of new and emerging infections. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	Further to this, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is undertaking a national Climate Change Risk Assessment, as required by the Climate Change Act 2008. Potential risks from new and emerging pathogens on human health will be considered as part of that wider assessment.
	Additionally, the Department's National Expert Panel on New and Emerging Infections keeps the risks to public health from such threats under constant review.

Physiology: Regulation

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the proposals of the NHS White Paper, Equity and Excellence: liberating the NHS, on the timescale for statutory regulation of clinical physiologists.

Anne Milton: Ministers are currently considering, within the context of the Government's wider health strategy, whether to regulate health care scientists, including clinical physiologists, and how it might be done.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to support dispensing surgeries in ensuring fair pricing for prescription medicines.

Paul Burstow: Following a recent cost of service inquiry carried out in conjunction with the Dispensing Doctors Association and the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association, discussions will now be taking place with the profession over future arrangements to secure best value from national health service investment in general practice.
	The latest earnings data from the NHS Information Centre, published on 15 September, show that for 2008-09 dispensing general practitioners (GPs) in England earned an average net income of £123,800, almost £17,900 higher than the average net income of a non-dispensing GP. Overall, dispensing surgeries therefore appear to be profitable.